The Games We Play
by Hiril Galad
Summary: Elves have been disappearing from the forest of Mirkwood, and when Legolas goes missing Aragorn is summoned to pick up his trail. Who has been capturing the elves, and for what purpose? Pre-LotR. A/L Friendship, Angst/Torture, NO SLASH.
1. Chapter 1

**The Games We Play**

**Elves have been disappearing from the forest of Mirkwood, and when Legolas goes missing Aragorn is summoned to pick up his trail. Who has been capturing the elves, and for what purpose? Aragorn/Legolas Friendship/Angst NO SLASH.  
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**A/N: **It's boring but we all have to do it: The characters from LotR belong to the Tolkein Estate, I am just borrowing them for the purposes of entertainment, I make absolutely no money from this. Any OC's belong to me if you want to use them, just ask first.

Elvish will be shown in Sindarin followed by the translation ie: "Mae Govennen" /Well Met/.

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><p>CHAPTER 1<p>

The morning was unusually clear for so close to winter but the air still had a crisp, chill feeling. The first of the frosts were still clinging to the grass under the shadows of the trees, as if desperately trying to escape what little warmth the sun provided.

Two elves crouched on branches, high above the twisting path that ran through the forest. They were silent hunters, clad in colors and hues of the forest, making them nearly invisible, save for those who knew where to look. Even their weapons were made to reflect nature, both carried deep mahogany bows with gentle curves that blended perfectly with the branches around them.

The forests of Mirkwood were a dangerous place, occupied by giant spiders, wargs and orcs so injuries and fatalities, sadly, were not uncommon. This time however, entire elven parties were just vanishing without a trace, never to be seen again. There had been whispers in nearby Lake Town, that a village to the north beyond the mountain were sending men into Mirkwood, returning in greater numbers than they entered with. When a group of six men were spotted by the sentries, the Elven King of the realm acted immediately, sending out several small parties to scout the area.

A piece of bark crunched as one of the elves, crept along a tree limb. Cursing himself inwardly for his inattention he froze on the spot, the only movement was a gentle sway of his dark hair in the breeze.

"Sedho" /Quiet/ a whisper came from the leaves beside him, barely audible save for elven ears. A curt nod and an apologetic look was the only reply before he made sure the men had not heard him and started creeping along the branch again. Elves were well known for their stealth, especially the wood elves who were at home among the trees, but as winter was fast approaching the trees were starting to prepare themselves for the cold months ahead, the bark was hardening and the leaves thinning.  
>They had to be careful.<p>

After learning the position of the men the two elves had watched them silently from the trees for several hours, hoping to overhear what their business was in the forest without having to confront them. No such opportunity had been given to them, the men had been almost as silent as the elves above them, as if they were constantly trying to sneak up on some sort of prey.

"This is hopeless" whispered the dark haired elf, once again crouching on a branch, "We are not going to learn anything from them up here".

"Be patient Calanon, there is no sense rushing in if we can learn from afar" replied his companion, his dark hood pulled high over his head to hide his golden hair. "They are still two days away from the Halls, we have time".

"Aye, you are right" whispered Calanon "Goheno nin" /forgive me/. He trusted his companions judgment, they had been friends for several centuries now, ever since Calanons father had been slain by orcs and his mother succumbed to grief. The king had taken Calanon under his wing and he had become an adopted part of the Royal family. The golden haired elf looked over at his companion and gave him a reassuring smile, Calanon was a brave warrior, there was no doubt there but his mind was easily overcome with emotion, and in turn he often made decisions without thinking. "Let us give them a few more miles before we take action then". With that he stood up once more and went to leap to a branch on an adjacent tree. Before his feet even left the branch there was a sharp TWANG! that pierced the air and Calanon fell with a heavy thud to the ground.

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><p>Legolas barely even had time to register what had happened, one minute his friend had been standing on a branch in front of him, the next he had vanished. He immediately crouched down on the limb concealing himself.<p>

"Throw your weapons to the ground" A voice suddenly commanded from below. "Now, or we kill your little friend here". Legolas peered through the thinning leaves to see his companion Calanon sitting on the ground, a knife to his throat and an arrow embedded in his thigh. The men had spotted them, 'there goes our chance of secrecy' he thought dryly.

"Drego Legolas! Hain u-'rogon" /Flee Legolas! I do not fear them/ yelled Calanon to the trees, his reward was a swift punch across the side of his face, the movement causing the knife at his throat to nick his skin. Legolas winced in sympathy for his friend but Calanon did not make a sound, he simply stretched his jaw slightly before turning back and sending a chilling stare at his captors.

"You will not speak that tongue here!" boomed the man who had administered the blow, before stepping back motioning for two other men holding ropes to step forward. Legolas thought for a moment, he was not sure of these strangers intentions, obviously they were hostile, but perhaps they could be reasoned with.

"Lau Mellon-nin" /No my friend/ Legolas said before quickly unstrapping his quiver and throwing it along with his bow and knives down to the ground. It may not have been the best decision, but he would not risk his friends life. It was looking like they were going to have to confront these men eventually anyway, Calanon was right, it was seeming as though they really would learn nothing just by observing them. With that he dropped silently and gracefully from the tree in front of them, pulling his hood back on the chance they would recognize his face.

"What is your business here?" demanded Legolas as one of the men stepped forward, mentally noting not to speak in Elvish to the men lest he receive the same treatment as Calanon.

"YOU are not in a position to ask questions elf" the man spat, motioning towards Calanon who was doing his best not to wince as two men pulled him to his feet and bound his hands behind his back. "I would ask why you have been following us?" Legolas was slightly taken aback, how did these men know they were being tracked? How long had they known they were being followed?. He cursed himself for not paying closer attention, normally men would have oblivious to their presence in the trees, but somehow these men had detected them. They seemed to have knowledge about the ways of the wood elves, yet it was quite obvious they did not recognize the prince of the realm. Curious.

"We have not been following you, we were simply hunting game when you crossed our path " A blatant lie, but it did hold some truth in case these men truly did know about his kin. The bows both elves carried were used for hunting from the trees, they were not like the great war bows of the Galadhrim, and these part of the woods were teeming with deer.

"Do you take me for a fool!" The man roared, his face turning a brighter shade of red in anger. He took a deep breath, calming himself "It is no matter, you will come with us" he stated matter of factly. Legolas eyes widened slightly, he had hoped to talk his way out of this, he had often been praised for his diplomatic skills, but that option was quickly becoming moot, they were barely allowed to speak without being threatened. Something was becoming clear though, these men did not know as much about elven ways as Legolas first assumed, it seemed they simply knew how they moved through the trees, like they had been taught how to track them down.

With diplomacy now out of the question, his next instinct was to fight, however with Calanon bound and injured and with his own weapons out of reach they would have little chance against six fully armed men. The man, who Legolas assumed to be the leader of the party, almost seemed to read his mind and he snatched up his quiver from the ground.

"Don't even think about trying anything elf" he warned. "Gathor, Hadrin, bind him" he ordered as 2 men stepped forward. Legolas stole a glace at his companion, he had no choice but to submit.

"What are you doing?" Calanon cried as he watched Legolas stand there making no protest to being bound. Legolas heart went out to him, he knew Calanon would be thinking it foolish to just surrender. When he had become a part of Legolas family he had made an unspoken vow to protect him by life or death, but what Calanon failed to realize was that Legolas had made the same vow towards him. Although the situation was not favourable at the moment, he hoped in the long run his risk would pay off.

"It is the only way my friend" he sighed.

"Quiet both of you!" sneered the leader of the men before walking over to Calanon. "I will not warn you again", he gave a smile that sent a shiver down Calanons spine before reaching down and yanking the arrow from his thigh. Calanon let out a cry from the unexpected action.

"Do not touch him!" spat Legolas, barely containing his anger as he struggled against his bonds and the men holding him at either side.

"You are a slow learner aren't you?" said the leader in a mocking tone as he spun around to face him, and in one quick motion his fist connected with Legolas stomach, "I do believe I told you to be quiet!". Legolas would have doubled over in pain had it not been for the two men firmly holding his arms at either side. Calanon watched on in horror, trying not cry out himself as blood now flowed freely down his leg. The leader glanced at the blood soaking Calanons leggings before ripping a strip of cloth from the elfs own cloak and tying it around his thigh.

"We need you to arrive at our destination alive and well elf, you won't be good sport if you don't".

All six men erupted into laughter.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

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><p>King Thranduil paced up and down his throne room, his long velvet robes sweeping the floor behind him. It had been four days since he sent out the elven parties to scout the woods where the men had last been seen. Three had already returned, reporting nothing in their sectors, only one party remained in the woods. Sighing, he walked over to the window and leaned on the stone frame, 'Why have you not returned my son, what trouble has befallen you this time?' his thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the already open door.<p>

"Hir nin?" /My Lord?/ "You sent for me?" Asked the elf in the doorway as he caught his breath, he looked as though he had just sprinted from the lower levels to get to the throne room with all haste. King Thranduil had many servants, butlers, cooks, maids, but they were never forced to work, they truly loved their king and were happy to serve him in return for the kindness, protection and above all, love he gave to his people.

"Ah, Gwaerin yes, please enter" Thranduil beckoned him, "I would like you to deliver a message for me"

"A message Hir nin? Where to?"

"Imladris, it seems we are in need of someone with considerable tracking skills"

"You feel something has bode ill?" Asked Gwaeren tentatively, not daring to voice his own concern for Legolas and Calanon, the whole hall had been whispering about their fate.

"I do knot know for sure, but whatever has befallen the hunting parties I fear may be happening again. I have sent out my best hunters to find my son but they have reported the same as before, no sign." Thranduils voice became distant, almost as if he were searching for the answers in his own mind. He sighed slightly as he walked over to a low desk adorned with candles and papers. He folded one of the letters and dripped wax over the seam, he stamped it with his official seal and handed it to Gwaerin. "Please make haste". Gwaerin bowed as he placed the letter inside his tunic before rushing out of the room.

Thranduil resumed his pacing, once again consumed by his thoughts. He felt guilt for sending both Legolas and Calanon out to track the men, but he knew if he didn't, his son would most likely have gone anyway and as always, Calanon would not be far behind him. 'Far too much like his mother' he thought to himself, Legolas was fiercely loyal to his friends and the disappearances of elves he had known for centuries had hit him hard, Thranduil knew there was no way he could keep his son away. 'And Calanon' a faint smile played on his lips, 'I just hope he doesn't get them into too much trouble'.

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><p>It had been three days of arduous trekking through both woods and plains before Legolas spotted smoke on the horizon. The men started talking is hushed whispers to each other before gaining pace and heading towards the haze.<p>

"Move elf" one of the men growled, prodding Calanon in the back with the point of his sword. Legolas turned to spare his friend a glace before being shoved forward by another man himself. They had been bound by heavy ropes since they were first obtained in the heart of Mirkwood, the men were taking no chances at their escape, keeping them guarded day and night. Even when they stopped to make camp the two elves were separated, not being allowed to speak to each other. The short times they spent making camp were something Calanon was very thankful for. For the first day his leg pained him greatly, but given the chance to sit and heal it was now nothing more than a dull ache.

The trek had been, for the most part, uneventful. Both elves had been listening for any sign of what was to come, but the men gave nothing away. Aside from their initial encounter they had been treated surprisingly well, they were given food and water, allowed to rest and sleep, the only abuse coming in the form of taunts and insults. It was becoming clear that these men had an obvious prejudice against elves, but their words were but a ripple in the stream to Legolas and Calanon, the taunts did not hurt their pride, it merely caused them to ask the question of why?

The mans words when they were captured however did play on Legolas mind, they needed them alive or they would not be good sport. 'What sport I wonder' he thought to himself 'Were these men the reason for the disappearance of the other elves?'. It was seeming more and more likely. His thoughts were interrupted as they came to the crest of a hill, before them a large village spread out across the landscape, smoke billowing from chimneys.

"Welcome to your new home" The leader smiled menacingly, before shoving the elves forward once more.

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><p>The sun was just breaking over the cliffs when a rather disheveled looking elf rode through the entrance to Imladris. He had been riding for days now, not daring to stop. He reigned his horse in, leaping from her back before she had a chance to completely halt and raced up the stairs to the Lords Elrond, having heard the rider approach, slipped on a silken robe and headed for the door. Visitors were not rare to Imladris, it was a safe haven for all the free peoples of Middle Earth, however unexpected guests at this hour of the morning, were not so common. Immediately his mind thought of ill news.<p>

"Lord Elrond!" A voice cried, he turned around to see a dark haired elf speeding towards him, he was clad in the colors of Mirkwood, his tunic and boots covered in dust and mud from a long and hurried journey.

"What troubles you Gwaerin, what news do you bring from Mirkwood?" He had known Gwearin for many centuries now, he was one of Thranduils fastest riders and often delivered messages between the two elven realms, this time it seemed his journey required more stamina than usual.

"A message my Lord" He gasped catching his breath. "From King Thranduil, he asks for your aid". He pulled the letter from his breast pocket and handed it to Elrond.

"Hannon le" /Thankyou/ he nodded to Gwaeren, not missing the mixture of both relief and fatigue that crossed the elf features. "Please, take some rest, you may use one of the rooms down the hall, your horse will be tended to" He smiled. Gwaeren simply smiled and bowed in return taking his leave.  
>Elrond returned to his own chambers before opening the letter from Thranduil. Frowning as read the familar handwriting.<p>

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Lord Elrond,

Over the past two months twelve elves in total have disappeared from Mirkwood Forest. We have found no trace of where they went or what has befallen them.

Men were spotted on foot in our woods. Now, one week past my own son and his companion have not returned from their quest to track them.

I plead with you to ask human son to come to Mirkwood to aid us in tracking down these missing elves... and to bring my son home.

King Thranduil.

_-.-_ _-.-_ _-.-_ _-.-_

Elrond sighed, placing the letter on his desk. He already knew his sons answer.

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><p><strong>AN:** Sorry for such a short chapter, the rest are much longer I promise, I just felt this needed to be ended here for now - Hiril Galad


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **There is a fair bit of elf whumping in this story and it begins here, so if you aren't a fan now would be the time to look away.**  
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_Gwedhiel0117_ - Thankyou so much for your detailed review that was fantastic, a huge help. I hope you find my change to Aragorn arrival time amusing ;)  
><em>Effie17<em> - Don't worry Aragorn is on his way! He makes his big entrance in Chap 4 if you can stick with it :)Thankyou for reading so far!

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><p>CHAPTER 3<p>

The group of six men and their two elven captives walked along a wide dirt road through the center of the village. The villagers stopped and stared as they walked past, seeming excited by their arrival as they talked amongst themselves. They walked past several buildings, most had wooden walls and thatched roofs as expected in a small town. The building they were walking towards however was stone, a great iron door stood in the center, it's steely gray hue edged with red rust. Guards armed with swords and daggers stood to either side, above their heads lie windows clad with iron bars.  
>Legolas mind froze. This was a prison.<p>

"Lord Braelor will not be pleased with this" said one of the guards as he stepped forward, motioning for the other guard to open the door "He expected much more than just two of these... creatures"

The leader glared at him and mumbled something incoherent and assumably not pleasant before shoving Legolas into the doorway along with Calanon. The room was so dark it took their eyes a moment to adjust. Candles adorned the walls, wax dripping down in waving lines from their holders, the room would have been no more than ten feet wide, but much longer, heavy iron doors lined the walls to either side.

"Ah Krethir, returning late this time, again, and with such a small catch" A figure stepped out of the shadows at the end of the corridor, his cloth was dark like his hair, intricate patterns were embroidered around his collar in bright golden thread. His face appeared as though it would have once been fair, yet now it twisted with a seemingly permanent malice and age worn lines etched their way around his features.

"Forgive me Lord Braelor, we had to travel deeper into the woods, I believe they are beginning to suspect" Krethir answered, fear flickering on his face for the briefest of moments.

"Beginning to suspect?" Calanon roared "Of course we would suspect something ill about our own kin vanishing from our realm!" Legolas closed his eyes briefly, inwardly wincing from Calanons sudden outburst and remembering their treatment the last time they spoke up. His suspicions were correct when Braelor stepped forward, his eyes casting a critical eye over the elf, he stepped around him before laying his boot directly into the back of Calanons knee, sending him to the ground. Krethir smiled.

"Now where are my manners" Braelor purred, "I see you have met Krethir and his men. I am Lord Braelor, and you now belong to me".

Legolas could not stop himself "We belong to no-one" he spat, piercing blue eyes sending the slightest of shivers down Braelors spine. Who did these men think they were? For what purpose were they capturing his kin?

"Interesting" Braelor broke his gaze and walked closer to the elf as two of Krethirs men held him in place. He leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "If you insist, then we will simply have to break you". Legolas struggled as Braelor turned back to the men, "We have a few days before the next games, these creatures heal much faster than us, you have until tomorrow to convince them to co-operate, use your best judgment on how you will achieve that" Krethir grinned and both Legolas and Calanon were dragged towards separate iron doors.

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><p>Aragorn arrived at the King halls in Mirkwood in record time. When his adoptive father Elrond had told him the news of Legolas and the other elves disappearance he did not hesitate in leaving to aid in their location. He had known Legolas since he was a child, he was brought to Imladris by his mother after his father Arathorns death. It was strange at first, living in a realm of immortals, but he and Legolas bonded almost instantly. Legolas visited frequently from Mirkwood and they soon came to call each other Gwador... Sworn brother.<br>They often got themselves into trouble, especially in the dangerous forests of Mirkwood, but they were always together. This time, Aragorn knew in his heart that something was horribly wrong, but it troubled him greatly that it was not him with Legolas this time.

King Thranduil greeted him at the gates of the Halls and wasted no time explaining their current predicament and the rumors heard from Lake Town. Within the hour Aragorn was set on the trail, a fresh horse given to him from the stables and a full pack of supplies. He knew the men were on foot, and he would be much faster on horseback, but if the elves had failed in tracking them down, that meant these men were skilled at hiding their tracks. Finding faint tracks would take time, and time was something he could not afford to waste.

He spurred his horse on, heading north, hoping he would not be too late.

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><p>The last words Legolas heard from Calanon was his own name being yelled as they were dragged into the rooms and the heavy iron doors slammed shut, diffusing all sound from outside. He immediately struggled to release himself from the grip of the men but once again was met with Krethirs fist, this time to his right temple. Dazed from the blow, the men unceremoniously dropped him to the ground, unable to stop the back of his skull from connecting with the stone floor, he clenched his jaw to stop himself from crying out. A pain shot through the back of his head and flashes on light danced in his vision. He blinked his eyes, trying to clear the fog from his mind, but barely had time to regain his bearings before the next blow struck, this time it came from one of the other men, and was a boot laid directly into his ribcage. A wave of pain was sent through his body, and he could have sworn he heard his own ribs breaking under the pressure of the blow.<p>

Now that he was at least temporarily incapacitated, the men quickly shoved him onto his side and untied the ropes binding his wrists. They stripped him of his tunic and shirt, tearing the seams in their haste and then drug him against the far wall before forcing him to stand again. Metal cuffs were clapped around his wrists. His knees buckled slightly as the men released their hold on him before he regained his composure, standing with his back against the wall and his hands chained above his head. Blood starting to stain his golden hair from where his head connected with the floor.

"Leave us" Krethir ordered the other men, they glanced at the elf before swiftly leaving the room, slamming the door behind them. "Now, let's have some fun elf" he cooed drawing a dagger from his belt. Legolas tensed his body and tested the metal cuffs above his head, he was immediately reminded of the kick he received to his ribs as pain shot through them. "There is no escape elf" Krethir smirked "The others never escaped and neither shall you"

'So this really was where the others ended up' Legolas thought to himself, "What have you done with them?" He demanded, raising his head authoritatively, despite being chained.

Krethir smirked at him again "Oh you will find out soon enough elf, but first we need you to be a little more... cooperative". He ran his finger along the dull edge of the blade in his hand before placing the tip against the elfs chest. He drew the blade diagonally, piercing the pale, smooth skin beneath. Legolas clenched his jaw and locked his eyes with the man in front him, a barely visible shiver passed through Krethirs body before he withdrew the knife and took a step backwards.

"Perhaps you will be a little harder to break than the others" he remarked, turning towards a dark corner of the cell. Legolas could feel the blood from the cut on his chest slowly running down to his stomach, he tried to take a deep breath to prepare himself for whatever Krethir had planned next but all he could manage were a few short gasps. He glanced around the room trying to take in his surroundings, the only light was coming from a small, barred window set high into the wall on his right. Beams of light shone onto the ground in front of him making it near impossible to see the far corners of the cell, whether deliberate or not, it was effective. He could only just make out the dark form of Krethir as he turned around, something glinting in his hand.

Krethir despised elves, he was raised 'knowing' that their kind were nothing more than murderers and conjurers of the black arts. He had heard stories, tales and even songs about their ways from Braelor. Braelor, his Lord, his trusted leader, hated the elves more than anyone in his village. He came to the village just before Krethirs birth, just after the great battle fought on the plains below the mountain. He never revealed much about himself to the villagers, but with a flash of charm and a touch of fear invoked in the residents and he quickly became Lord of the land. He became mentor to many of the children in the village, including Krethir, teaching them fighting skills, questionable games, and of course, the 'evil' elves. The true reason for his hatred though he kept close to his heart.

Krethir selected a device from the small table in the corner of the cell, it was small and unassuming, but to its victim would could prove deadly. "Who is your master?" Krethir questioned.

Legolas remained silent.

"Who is your master?" Krethir questioned again, a hint or amusement in his voice, only to be met once again with silence. "Very well then" he grinned. He held several small hollow silver tubes between his fingers, twirling them purposefully in front of the elf. They would have been not much more than an arrows width wide but only a few inches long, the ends were cut on a slope so that they pointed. Suddenly Krethir grasped a tube in his fist and slammed it into the elf just below the collar bone, breaking the skin. Legolas gasped from the sudden assault, but managed to stop himself from otherwise physically reacting. He would not give this man the satisfaction of hearing his pain. Krethir withdrew his hand, leaving the silver tube protruding from the pale skin. Only moments later another tube broke the skin on the other side, blood slowly started dripping from the ends.

Krethir stepped back and cast a critical eye over his work and frowned, he should be bleeding much more than this. He knew how fast these creatures healed, but with these simple devices Lord Braelor had given him, even an elf was not immune to blood loss, this he had learned first hand. He pulled another tube from his hand and stepped back towards the elf, this time sinking the metal object into the elfs exposed side. This time the blood flowed slowly, but more freely. He gave a twisted smile before heading out the door and locking it behind him, leaving the elf chained and bleeding from wounds that could not close and a thousand thoughts running through his mind.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I appreciate each and every review I receive, and I am am thrilled you guys are enjoying this story so far!  
>Thankyou to my reviewers for the last chapter, Melanie-Baker, Jr and Effie17.<br>Special thanks to Gwedhiel0117 for all her help!

_-.-_ _-.-_ _-.-_ _-.-_ _-.-_

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><p>Darkness had covered the land when Aragorn finally spotted signs of life, a faint glow on the horizon. He had been tracking the party of men north for several days, it had been hard at first, the men had traveled light, but once they left Mirkwood they seemed to be much less careful at hiding their tracks. One thing Aragorn did notice is that they were not alone, two elves traveled with the men out of the forest, and not of their own free will.<p>

Aragorn dismounted his mare and removed all of her tack, stowing it in a thicket at the base of a hill. He whispered to the horse in elvish and she snorted and bobbed her head before turning about and trotting back in the direction they came from. He would continue on foot from here, taking an elvish horse into a town of possibly hostile men was not exactly discrete, and if he were to find out what had happened to Legolas, Calanon and the other elves he would need to be tactful. Barging in and making demands could only end in trouble.

He watched the mare trot away until she was out of sight then he pulled a short dagger from his boot. He lay the blade across his left palm and drew it across, wincing as the blade broke the skin. He let a few drops of blood run into his other palm and mixed it with a little dirt before rubbing it onto his temple. He rubbed some more dirt onto his coat before binding his hand with a strip of cloth and continuing on towards the village.

It wasn't long before he reached his destination and he immediately looked for an inn or tavern, wanderers to any village or town needed a place to stay and rest, so this was the logical choice before setting out on his task to find information. The streets were mostly empty but for a few people that wandered out of their front doors to extinguish their lamps, and as they did they stopped and stared.

He came across a ragged old two storey building with a sign swinging above its door, 'The Black Stallion Inn'. He could hear the sounds of merry making coming from inside and shadows flickered on the windows as people jostled about, he sighed before stepping through the door. He would much rather have camped under the stars and waited until morning, but making an untimely entrance would only strengthen his story. The silence was deafening from the crowd inside and it became obvious that this village rarely received visitors. Their gaze followed him as he made his way across the room.

"What business do you have in The Hollow?" asked a gruff voice from behind the bar.

"I am seeking lodging" Aragorn answered simply, "I was attacked by Orcs earlier this night and my horse fled. I was hoping to catch some rest before continuing on my journey". He brushed at the dirt on his clothing and ran his fingers through his hair, hoping his attempt to make it look as though he had been in battle was successful.

"And where are you headed?" The barkeep asked suspiciously looking him up and down.

"I was to meet with the dwarves in the mountain to the north, I wish to do trade with them" The disputes between elves and dwarves were well known to many, any friend of one was not usually a friend of the other, Aragorn hoped this would lend at least a little trust from these men.

"Hmph" the barkeep narrowed his eyes, "very well, we have some rooms upstairs" It was a start. Aragorn followed one of the staff up the stairs to his room, the young man unlocked the door and handed Aragorn the key.

"Is there anything you need"? He asked quietly, shifting his feet and looking down at the ground.

"No thankyou, I have enough provisions for tonight" Aragorn smiled at him. The boy looked up, he couldn't have been more than fifteen years old but his eyes showed that he had seen much in his short life, what you could see of them anyway from under the mass of wavy, dirty blonde hair that crept over his face. He seemed surprised at Aragorns reply.

"You aren't from around here are you?" He asked nervously before looking back down at the ground.

"What makes you ask that?"

"well... it's just... nothing" The boy stammered before racing out of the room.

"Wait!" Aragorn stepped into the hall after him but he was gone, he frowned, there was definitely something going on here, hopefully a new day would bring new answers.

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><p>Legolas head started to spin, he had the sudden sensation that his body was floating above the ground. It had been over an hour since Krethir had left him alone in his cell, bound and bleeding. He had racked his brain trying to think of what possible reason these men could have for keeping him captive. His people had no ill will towards any humans, they even did trade with the men of Lake Town along the river. From what he could tell on their journey, this village was near the path the dwarves took to travel from their realm in the Grey Mountains to the Lonely Mountain, but even though the dwarves and the elves disliked each other, there was no true hatred between the races. Their main difference lie in their choice of dwelling, the elves preferring to be under the stars while the dwarves preferred to be under rock, and being enclosed in a stone prison was torture in itself for an elf.<p>

"There must be something" he sighed. His thoughts wandered to Calanon, how he wished his friend was not shut away from him, he hoped he had not been subjected to the same treatment as himself, and he hoped Calanon could keep his mouth shut. The corner of his mouth raised into the slightest smile at the last thought. He had thought of revealing his status of the kings son to the men, hoping his life may be of more value to them, that he may be able to bargain for Calanons release, but he knew it to be folly. These men did not seem interested in any sort of ransom for their lives, they cared not about their identities, their only interest being the fact that they were elves. Which of course only begged more questions.

He also knew his father King Thranduil would likely be sending out elves to find them, if he had not done so already. He still had not decided whether this to be good or ill, if he sent out small parties to track the men again there was a high chance they too would be captured, and if he sent out his entire army, which with his son missing was a high possibility, then would these men simply kill them before they arrived?

Suddenly he heard a clicking from the lock on the iron doors and they swung open, Krethir stepped through with two other men. He had timed his entrance almost to the minute with the elf teetering on the brink of consciousness, it was clear he had done this before.

"Are you ready to accept your fate yet elf?" Legolas blinked and raised his head, his eyes barely focusing on Krethirs twisted grin.

"Never" he whispered, dropping his head slightly, struggling to find the strength to hold it up. Suddenly the room felt so much smaller, the walls felt like they were shrinking in around him, trying to suffocate him. Krethir stepped forward and grabbed the elfs jaw in his hand forcing him to look him in the eyes. He gave a slight snarl before dropping Legolas head and grabbing the silver tubes, ripping them from his collar. Legolas just hung there from the chains, the only movement was the steady rise and fall of his chest and the slow, drowsy blinking of his eyes. His lack of action did not please Krethir at all, he held the tube in the elfs side with his thumb and index finger and started twisting it slowly. This elicited a small groan from Legolas as his mind started to darken, Krethir pulled the tube out and leaned forward, his lips almost touching Legolas ear.

"Again, who is your master elf?" he hissed.

"I have... no master" Legolas breathed, realizing the intent behind his treatment, the weaker he was, the more compliant they thought he would be. He knew they had no intention of killing him, and Braelor had made it known that they needed him to be at least partially hale for these 'games'. Whether or not it worked on his kin that had been brought here before was irrelevant, it would not work on the Prince of Mirkwood. His pride was something some saw as a form of weakness, namely Aragorn who often scolded him for hiding his injuries, but in this case it was his only strength, he was in control of his own mind and it was a small comfort, he would never yield. Krethirs face twisted with anger and he stepped back before landing a swift punch to Legolas jaw, the darkness finally took over his mind and he fell into blissful unconsciousness.

Krethir turned to his men, "get him down" He ordered them, "He can recover and we will continue this later", he walked to the corner of the room and collected an array of instruments before leaving the men to release the elf from his bonds.

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><p>Aragorn sat on the edge of the bed in his room at the inn, the blankets folded neatly upon it untouched, he found no rest that night. It was not long before dawn, candles had long burned out, but the glow from the open fire illuminated the room with an orange hue. He walked over to the fire and placed another log onto the glowing coals, he needed to find answers and he needed to find them fast, he had no way of knowing whether Legolas and the rest of his kin were even alive or not.<p>

'What use would they have for elves?' he thought to himself, 'this village does not look like it has any use for workers, I know not of any race or people who dislike the elves enough to warrant this, what is it?' He racked his brain trying to think of why these men had been taking elves captive when his thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door to his room.

He frowned, wondering who would be disturbing him at this hour, though at the same time surprised that no-one had come to confront him earlier, it was obvious the villagers were wary of his presence, the barkeep was enough to attest to that. "Enter" he commanded roughly as the door slowly swung open, he was surprised to see the same boy who had escorted him to his room the night before, with same nervous look on his face. "Come in" he said, his voice softening "Is there something amiss?".

"I... I apologize for coming at such an hour sir" He stammered, "It's just, I did not want anyone to see me". Aragorn cocked his head to one side and studied the boy, what could be making him so nervous?

"It is no matter, I awoke early this morning, what troubles you?" he asked kindly not wanting his inner troubles to show through, this boy was so skittish he didn't want to scare him off again.

"Well, it's just, we don't get a lot of guests staying here, mostly these rooms are used by the men of the town for..." His voice trailed off "Well, they just aren't used often". He sighed, eyes flicking to the door and it looked to Aragorn as if he were going to do another disappearing act again.

"What is your name?" He asked, steering him away from his thoughts.

"My name? It is Adrenen, son of Adrenar sir"

Aragorn smiled at the boy, "I am pleased to meet you Adrenen, they call me Strider, you have nothing to be worried about I will not hurt you, please, sit" He gestured to a chair in the corner of the room. Adrenen walked over to the chair and tentatively sat down, his eyes still darting back to the door every so often. "Now please, tell me what troubles you, what brings you here at such an hour".

Adrenen thought for moment, "Do you know much about this village?" He asked.

"I admit, I do not know much about many of the villages in this realm" Aragorn shook his head, he had traveled far throughout his life but now he suddenly regretted not exploring all of the small villages on the outskirts of the Lonely Mountain, but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

"Well, in this village we have special... games. Lord Braelor runs them, he has done since before I was born. Two men fight each other and everyone places bets on who they think will win. They were just for sport, no-one ever got hurt too badly, but lately..." His voiced trailed off again and his eyes became distant, sad. Aragorn had heard of people taking part in sports like this before, they were quite popular in some of the towns further south. Some people saw them as entertainment, a way to make some money or even a safe, albeit a little barbaric, way of settling disputes.

"Please, continue" Aragorn urged the boy on, it couldn't just be the fights upsetting him.

Adrenen swallowed hard. "A few months ago Lord Braelor said he had a special surprise for everyone for the next games, so people started gathering in the yard to the east, next to the stone prison. He had guards standing all around the yard. Once the entire village had gathered he had his men bring out an elf... and elf! I had never seen one before!" His voice rose subconsciously in excitement before he calmed himself again and went back to his neutral, somber tone, " Braelor had always said they were evil creatures, and people started cursing at him, throwing things. As always people were given an option to fight if they wished, and straight away two of the strongest men stepped forward. Normally they just fight with their fists, but this time they were given swords, and daggers". He sighed and dropped his head.

"You did not wish them to harm the elf?" Aragorn queried. Evil? Prison? He had so many questions but he did not want to overwhelm the boy.

Adrenen tentatively replied, not truly knowing where Aragorns allegiances lie, "At first I was just surprised, but when they started to fight I could see that the elf was actually trying not to hurt the men. Then when I realized no bets were being placed..." his voice trailed off again.

Aragorn nodded, understanding the boys reluctance to share his feelings, he was a stranger and this boy was confiding in him, it would have been a huge risk him coming up to meet with him. He certainly was brave despite his meek exterior, "What happened next?" he gently pressed.

Adrenen cast his eyes back to the floor, "He couldn't fight both of the men unarmed, I could tell he was hurt before he even started fighting, he fell. Everyone cheered and Braelor brought out another elf".

Aragorn resisted the urge to close his eyes and sigh as grief gripped his heart, he had found his answers, at least the answer of where and how, all that was left was why. "Adrenen, how many times has this happened? How many elves have fallen?"

Adrenen thought for a moment, "Twelve altogether. I didn't want to watch, really I didn't, but Braelor said it would be good for us, he even started making myself and a few other boys work in the prison". Aragorn didn't know whether to feel anger at the men who were doing this, or pity for this poor child who had to witness it. "Forgive me, I know this is none of your concern, but it has been so long since anyone new has traveled to our village and I needed to tell you before it was too late. In two days time the next games begin, and I saw Krethir, Braelors Captain bringing more elves into the village".

Aragorn furrowed his brow, "You have been very brave in telling me this Adrenen, your feelings were correct, I do not agree with this at all, in fact it was the disappearance of the elves that brought me here".

"You know the elves?" Adrenen asked, his voice a mixture of excitement and sorrow.

"Indeed, in fact I believe a dear friend of mine is here right now, being held captive".

"If he is here he would be in the prison" Adrenen answered thoughtfully, "I could see in the morning, I have to go there for cleaning duty at first light, what does he look like?"

"Adrenen, I would not wish for you to be involved in this, if you were caught..."

"It's no problem at all, I have to go there anyway, please what does he look like?" Adrenen cut him off, excitement now outweighing his sorrow at the thought of being able to help in some way. Aragorn considered this for a moment, the entire village seemed to enjoy murdering elves in a 'game' yet this one boy was asking him, a complete stranger to help them. It was rare indeed, 'The mind of a child is a wonderful thing' he thought to himself, he has been lied to his whole life yet he still knows right from wrong. How anyone could think of elves as evil beings was beyond him, but the reasons behind their hatred would have to wait, right now his only goal was helping Legolas and Calanon. This boy could be his only way to find out where they were and help him get closer to the man running this game.

He looked Adrenen in the eyes, the boy showed more sincerity and wisdom than many of those twice his age, he felt in his heart that he could trust this boy. "He is tall, he will look around twenty years to your eyes with long golden hair, he will have a friend with him, he looks much the same though perhaps a little younger, his hair is dark, both will be clad in colors of the forest".

"Right!" Adrenen stood up from the chair and headed for the door "I will come back again after dark and let you know if your friends are there".

"Adrenen" Aragorn stopped him, "Please, do not do anything that will get yourself into trouble, only look for them if you have a chance, if anyone asks about me I am just traveling through on my way to see the dwarves".

"I won't Mr. Strider, and thank you" He nodded to Aragorn before leaving the room.

Aragorn sat back down on the bed, the sun was just starting to peek over the hills, now he had to wait and see if his feelings about this boy were right.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Thankyou once again to my reviewers, you guys rock! I hope you enjoy the latest installment!

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><p>CHAPTER 5<p>

Adrenen walked through the doors of the prison just after daybreak, a few other boys were already standing in the corridor waiting for Krethir to give them their tasks for the morning. Krethir entered and sent the boys off on errands, some were to clean the empty cells, others to prepare the yard next to the prison for the games. Adrenen however was sent to Braelors quarters at the back of the building. A sudden anxiety came over him, he had only been working here a few weeks but he had never been summoned by Lord Braelor before, they usually just turned up, did their duties and once Krethir was satisfied they were allowed to go home. He approached the open door and was about to knock when Braelor spoke up.

"Come in my child" he beckoned him "I have some questions to ask of you".

"Yes my Lord" Adrenen bowed his head before making his way across the room, he could barely hear his footsteps over the sound of his own heart beating. Braelor was seated in an ornately carved blackwood chair cushioned with a deep red velvet cloth. Banners in the same red hue lined the walls, gold and black patterns criss crossed their way down to where the fabric met the floor. An array of documents, papers and maps scattered about the desk in front of him. Adrenen caught a brief glace at a particular map labeled 'Mirkwood', circles drawn in red ink marked locations among the trees, four red markings, four games. This showed where the elves had been taken from, the elves that had already perished at the hands of the men. Adrenen swallowed.

"It has reached my ears that we have a new guest to our town" Braelor stated, picking up some of the papers and placing them neatly in a pile, "I believe he is staying in your Uncles inn, what do you know of him?" Adrenens heart skipped a beat, he should have known Braelor would have heard about Strider, and of course want to know what he was doing here.

"I overheard him saying to my Uncle that he was on his way to visit the dwarves, I believe he intends to stay a few days at least. I'm sorry, that is all I know my Lord". His eyes fell to their usual place gazing at the floor, in some strange way he did feel wrong lying to Braelor, he had been the leader of the village since before Adrenen was born, the villagers all trusted him. He had never treated any of them badly, never did them any ill will, but now Adrenen felt a slight unease just being in his presence.

"Interesting" Braelor mused to himself breaking Adrenen away from his thoughts, "then he will most likely be here for our little games". "If you hear anything else about this visitor you will tell me immediately do you understand?" Adrenen simply nodded his head lest his voice betray him. "There's a good boy, now see that Krethir gives you something productive to do today". Adrenen bowed his head again before leaving to find Krethir. He walked back through the door and felt a hand clap him on the shoulder making him flinch, he almost cried out in surprise as he was spun around.

"You sure are a jumpy one aren't you?" remarked Krethir "Come, you're the sweeper today". Adrenen followed Krethir to a small wooden door where he retrieved a broom and a few other cleaning tools. "I want this hall cleaned, walls, floors and ceiling, replace the candles and clean the holders, Lord Braelor does not want to be living in squalor like this". Krethir gestured towards one of the cells as his lips curled into a twisted smile. "Do a good job and we might just let you watch us do a little interrogating later". With that he clapped Adrenen on the shoulder again and turned and left the boy to his duties.

Adrenen felt sick, 'What sort of interrogating does he mean? Is this why the elves were always injured before the games?' He shook the thoughts from his mind and started his cleaning tasks, if nothing else at least he may have his chance to find out if Striders friends were here.

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><p>Legolas blinked his eyes slowly, light was slanting through the barred window as the sun crept up the walls of the prison. The first thing he noticed was that he was laying on the ground rather than being strung up against the wall, a faint smell of athelas reached his nose. He went to sit himself up but slumped back down to the ground on his side when he realized his hands were bound behind his back. His injuries were healing well, the men must have treated his wounds after he lost consciousness and his ribs were nothing more than a dull ache now. What pained him most were his shoulders, the strain of holding the weight of his body showed and he tried to adjust himself to relieve the pressure.<p>

He looked around the room, trying to find anything that could help him out of this predicament. There was nothing, not even the chains that bound him to the wall remained, the only things left in the room was a ring embedded into the back wall, and himself. He sighed inwardly, he had come all this way and still found no answers, he desperately wished to see Calanon, to make sure he was well, but all he had was a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

He heard the lock on the door click once more and Krethir stepped into the cell with two men trailing behind him. Legolas just closed his eyes and let out a long breath, waiting for the inevitable blow. He was surprised when it didn't come and he opened his eyes again, Krethir was standing over him with a young boy.

"Awake at last elf, you see boy, they are nothing but pathetic creatures, miserable beings made to serve us to try and make up for past misgivings" Krethir sneered.

"There is one pathetic creature in this room and it is not me" Legolas spat back at him. "The only person I serve is the Elvenking of King of Mirkwood".

Krethir bent down and grabbed a handful of Legolas hair "The only words I want to hear escape your lips are 'yes master', I care not for your little woodland king, you have a new lord now do you understand?" He let go of Legolas hair and kicked him with his boot. "Men, put him back on the chain" he stepped back letting his men come forward. The two men approached and quickly untied the ropes binding his wrists, his shoulders burned as the pressure was released. Then it suddenly hit him, he was completely unrestrained with only 3 men in the room. If he were to try an escape, now would be the time, he guessed the men believed it would take him longer to heal from his injuries, especially since he had been given no food or water to replenish his strength, so they were not being as cautious as they had been when they first arrived. He sized up the men, took note of their weapons and was about to leap up off the ground when something stopped him.

The boy. He had almost forgotten about him, he had shrunk away back near the open door, he looked as though he did not want to be there, but was too afraid to leave. Legolas could only stare at him while the men grabbed his arms and forced him up off the ground. Like all elves he could sense evil, Krethir and his men were not truly evil beings, but a darkness clouded their hearts, stopping their inner light from shining through, and in turn stopping beauty from getting in. This boy however was different. A light lingered all around him, in a way he reminded him of his friend Aragorn. 'Oh Aragorn, how I wish you were here now, if it were not such a dire situation you would probably be laughing at me for getting into yet another mess'. His attention was drawn back to the men as the iron cuffs were clasped around his wrists in front of him, a chain was threaded through the ring on the wall and he was once again suspended, his back pressed against cold stone. His chance of escape was now gone.

"Now, are you ready to cooperate today elf?" Krethir cooed, but Legolas barely heard him, he could not take his eyes off this boy. Krethir followed the elfs gaze to where the boy was standing in the doorframe. "Come here boy" he beckoned him as the boy meekly stepped forward. Legolas watched him as he approached, he tried to look into the boys eyes but they were fixed firmly on the floor. "If you think this boy will show you any sympathy you are wrong" Legolas eyes flashed up to Krethirs, "He hates your kind as much as the rest of us, isn't that right boy?" The boy nodded his head without looking up. Krethir laughed and prodded the boy in the shoulder, "Look at it, just look at it, they think they are above us, better than us, but we will show them". The boy raised his head slowly and looked Legolas straight in the eyes, he stared for a few moments before his own eyes widened and he bolted straight out the cell.

"Hey boy!" Yelled Krethir "Where do you think you're going?" But it was too late. Krethir mumbled something incoherent before turning back to Legolas. "I had intended to teach the boy a few lessons about what to do with your kind, but it seems luck is on your side today elf. No matter, your little friend across the hall is in need of my attentions today anyway, seems we may have done our job a little too well yesterday".

Legolas muscles unconsciously tensed at the mention of Calanon, "What have you done with him?"

"Oh he is alive" Krethir waved his hand "for now at least, although if he does not learn to behave I might change my mind about that". Empty threats, empty threats and scare tactics is all it is Legolas reassured himself. As much as he did not want to think it, he knew Calanon would be in a similar position to himself, but despite of his rash nature Calanon was strong, he had survived great pain in the past and he could do it again. His parents deaths had taken a great toll on him, in fact he came so close to succumbing to grief Legolas thought he would not make it back, but in the end he prevailed and he was stronger because of it. The gift of immortality was a blessing and a curse, to live so long meant to endure much more pain than anyone on this Earth ever should, but to learn how to survive through the pain only served to strengthen the spirit, to give new meaning to life. He knew that at least Calanons mind would remain strong.

Legolas glanced over at Krethir, the man was intentionally avoiding making eye contact with him now. It was obvious that the elf made him uneasy, even a little nervous, something Legolas saw as another small victory within his confinement. He felt a new surge of hope and a faint flicker of a smile crossed his face. "And what have you got to be smiling about elf?" an unveiled annoyance hinting in Krethirs voice. The next thing Legolas did even he did not expect, he laughed. His light, musical voice filled the room as Krethirs face slowly grew redder with anger. His situation was certainly not amusing, but the fact that despite capturing twelve of his kin and his obvious superior attitude, Krethir was still nervous around an elf, and that was downright comical to him.

Krethir was infuriated by the elfs sudden outburst and before he could even comprehend what he was doing he had unsheathed a dagger and had it pressed against Legolas throat. This only seemed to fuel the elfs laughter. In one swift movement Krethir withdrew the dagger and slammed the hilt into Legolas temple, he took a step back as the room fell silent.

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><p>Adrenen ran out of the prison and straight to his room at his uncles tavern, he would worry about the consequences later. He flopped face down on his bed and buried his face in his pillow. Why did he feel so wrong about this? Lord Braelor had always been kind to him, he had no reason to distrust him yet now he started to question everything he had ever been told. He knew something was wrong, since the first fight, but this elf... He sighed into the pillow before rolling over onto his back. 'His eyes' he thought to himself 'It was like I could see straight into his soul, how could they not see that he is not an evil being'. His thoughts wandered to the newcomer, Strider, he hoped he had come up with a plan. He couldn't wait until tonight to speak to him. There was a knock on his door and it swung open. "Adrenen, what are you doing back already?"<p>

"Oh! Uncle! I have finished already, Krethir let me go early" he lied.

"Well that is good, why don't you come and have an early lunch before you start your duties here" His Uncle smiled at him. Adrenen got up from the bed and followed his uncle into the main room of the tavern. His uncle wasn't a bad man, he was kind to Adrenen, he gave him a home after his parents passed away. But he loved the games, often placing large bets after a few too many ales, and like most others in the village became even more interested now that there were elves involved.

Adrenen finished his lunch and went to start on his usual duties before a voice stopped him. "Adrenen" his uncle called him over, "I want you to replace the bedding in the guest rooms today, and when you do I want you to stop in to this new visitors room, see if you can find out anything from him. You're a good kid, he's more likely to confide in you than anyone else".

"W-Why do you want to know about him?" Adrenen stammered back, first Braelor and now his uncle. If they found out he was friends with the elves, whatever Strider had planned would be of no use.

"Namely what he is really doing here. I'm not sure what but something just didn't seem right about him" Adrenens Uncle narrowed his eyes before turning back to the bar. Adrenen sighed, Not right? He was seeming to be the only right thing in this place! He picked up a pile of sheets and headed up the stairs to the guest rooms, stopping in the hall to knock on an increasingly familiar door.

"Fresh linens sir" he called.

"Come in" a voice answered from behind the door. Adrenen walked in to find Strider sitting on the chair in the corner of the room running a cloth down the length of his sword. He stood up and welcomed Adrenen in. "I did not think I would see you back so soon" He walked over to the bed and picked up the leather scabbard that lay upon it, resheathing his sword and placing it back on the bed.

"It was not on purpose I will admit, but I'm glad I had the chance to come up here". A touch of worry edging into his voice. He was grateful for the chance to talk with Strider again so soon, but he dreaded the conversation with his uncle that would follow.

"What has happened Adrenen? Did you find my friends?"

"Yes! At least I found one of them, the one with the golden hair, I'm so sorry really I am!" his voice rose along with his guilt.

"Adrenen, please, tell me what has happened?" Strider asked quickly, his voice laced with urgency and concern. Adrenen sighed, not knowing the right words, how do you tell someone their friend is being tortured and there is nothing you can do about it? "Adrenen?" Strider called him out of his thoughts.

"He's in the prison, in one of the cells. He was bound, Krethir took me in there with him, he kept saying horrible things about the elves and I think he was going to hurt him again, but I just couldn't stay, I ran out and came back to the inn". The man just smiled and walked over putting a hand on Adrenens shoulder. He looked down at the floor, feeling ashamed at being such a coward.

"Thank you my friend" He smiled "At least I now know he is here, he is strong, I will get him out of this place I can promise you that". Adrenen smiled back, pleased that he had been able to help, even if he did feel guilty for running away.

"Oh, there is one more thing, people have been asking questions. Lord Braelor and my Uncle have both been asking about you, I don't know if they think the elves are your friends or not but I think they suspect something. my uncle asked me to try and find out the true reason for you being here". Adrenen looked up at the man, a frown crossed his features.

"I will deal with it" He said thoughtfully, rubbing the stubble on his chin, "thankyou again my friend".


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Once again thankyou to my reviewers! This chapter finally sees Legolas and Aragorn together, but what will come of it I wonder? :)

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><p>CHAPTER 6<p>

Aragorn strode down the main street of the village towards the prison, he had to speak to this 'Lord' Braelor and find out if it was mere curiosity, or if he really did suspect him of being a friend to the elves. He had given Adrenen what he hoped was a good enough explanation of his sudden appearance to convey to his uncle, but Braelor he would need to speak with personally and it certainly was a good opportunity to scout out the prison himself. He reached the stone building and as he approached the door the two guards stepped forward.

"This area is off limits until tomorrows games" one barked, his hand on the hilt of his sword, Aragorn instantly regretting leaving his own blade in his room at the tavern, but he reminded himself that he came here to talk, not fight, carrying a sword would only serve to make them think of him as hostile.

"Forgive me, I did not realize coming here would cause problems" he put on his most pleasant voice, "I merely wish to speak to your Lord, may I ask for an audience with him?". The guard who had spoken to Aragorn gestured for his companion to step inside. He returned a few minutes later an bid Aragorn to enter, the remaining guard simply grunted his displeasure as he stepped out of his way.

Aragorn followed the guard down the long corridor, he studied every detail, he knew Legolas was in here somewhere, and he hoped Calanon was as well, but every door was locked up tight, no windows, no cracks, no way to see who was behind the iron doors that lined the walls. They reached the end of the corridor, two more guards stood by the door at its end, unmoving, hands clutching tall spears, they could have almost been statues had it not been for the slightest of breezes tugging at their cloth. His escort opened the heavy door and inclined his head towards the room beyond before turning on his heel to resume his duties on the front door.

"Ahh the wanderer I have heard so much about, please do come in" Braelor gestured to a seat on the opposite side of his desk. Aragorn straightened his overcoat and strode in, seating himself before the man. "I am Lord Braelor, master of this establishment and this fine village". Aragorn resisted to urge to scoff, this may have been a fine village many years ago but this man had led it to ruin.

"I am pleased to meet you my Lord, they call me Strider" inwardly shuddering at having the refer to this 'monster' as his Lord, all that mattered for the moment however was diplomacy.

"And who might 'they' be?" Braelor asked with a tinge of amusement in his voice.

"The name was given to me by my dear friends that dwell in the mountain" he lied, "I was on my way to do trade with them when I was attacked, my horse bolted, I have actually come to ask a favor of you my Lord" It was a bold move, but it loaned good reason to his request of an audience.

"A favor of me? And what pray tell would that be?"

"I require a fresh horse to continue my journey, I am afraid it would take me far too long on foot as I wish to reach my destination before my way is overwrought with snow and ice, I can pay you on return of course or offer my services to your village".

"Interesting... " Brealor seemed to contemplate Aragorns offer, "I will grant you your favor, but I must ask one myself" This is the moment Aragorn had been hoping for, if this man was as predictable as he was greedy he would play right into his hands. "We have a special, I guess you would say 'games', that I run for the purpose of entertaining the villagers, and making a little profit. If you compete in these games, I will supply you with all you need to be on your way".

Aragorn feigned interest, "what sort of games my Lord?"

Braelor simply chuckled evilly at his question, "how do you feel about the elves?"

"The elves? I can't say I have ever met them, the only stories I know are from the Dwarves, and they are less than favorable" Aragorn answered trying to remain neutral lest he give away his prior knowledge of the games from Adrenen.

"Then you would have no problem with killing one of them?" Braelor tested.

Aragorn thought for a moment, he did not want to appear too eager, or to nonchalant, "It is little matter to me, they shut themselves away in their forest, from what I have heard their deeds are dark indeed". It almost broke his heart to talk of the elves this way, but thankfully it appeared to be working. It was true that most elves did shut themselves away, but not through lack of caring, it was perhaps that they loved too much. They closed their borders purely for their own protection, these were dark times and they would do anything to protect their own lands and people.

Braelor gave a wicked grin, "then perhaps I have something you would enjoy". He stood up from his desk and bid Aragorn follow him. They walked slowly down the corridor and Braelor produced a ring of keys from his robes, fiddling with them as they walked. "I do hope you feel the same way about these creatures as we do here in the village Strider, we have seen what they can do, we have seen their murderous ways!"

'Wait... murderous ways?' Suddenly Aragorn knew there was much more to Braelors story than a simple disliking, but the elves were not murderers, the only creatures slain by their hands were ones beyond any reprieve, dark twisted creatures with no hope of salvation. There was certainly more depth to Braelor than he had first thought. Braelor had selected a key from the ring and placed it in the lock of one of the iron doors, he turned the key and the lock clicked open. He pushed the door inwards and held out his hand gesturing for Aragorn to enter.

As Aragorn stepped inside he felt his heart tear in two. Chained to the wall in a dark, stuffy cell was his best friend... his brother. It took all his self control not to run over to him then and there. Braelor followed him into the cell and they walked over to Legolas, his head was hanging limply, his usually vibrant golden hair was tinged with hues of red and pink, faint scars marred his pale skin. Braelor grabbed a handful of his hair and roughly pulled his head back so that he could see his face, his eyes were closed, and from the large gash on his temple Aragorn guessed him to be in a deep state of unconsciousness... something was strange though...

"I smell athelas?" Aragorn spoke up.

"A healer are you? Well, we wouldn't want him dying on us too early now would we?" he stated cryptically, not knowing Aragorn knew exactly what he had in store for the elf. "Here, I think he needs a little wake up call". Braelor held out his hand to Aragorn, in it was a small silver dagger, much thinner than a regular blade, but it was not straight, it zig zagged from hilt to tip, designed to be twisted, to rip and tear at muscle delaying healing.

"I couldn't possibly deny you the pleasure my Lord" Aragorn almost stumbled.

"I insist". Aragorn looked at him, this was a test, a test to prove whether or not he really was in alliance with the elves. "You see Strider, I give the people what they want, and what they want, is the games. We have had a few elves in our games now and yes it was enjoyable for a while, but as always, the audience wants more. I plan on giving these creatures some weapons in the fight tomorrow, I know the audience will enjoy this new twist, but they are strong, stronger than any human, and fast, I don't want any mistakes". That was it... this was never a game at all, this was a public execution. They were forced to defend themselves from sword and dagger with no weapons themselves, and when they finally are given the chance to fight back Braelor intends to maim them so they can't fight properly.

Aragorn eyed the dagger in Braelors hand, he could not possibly do this to his friend, but if he didn't he would be found out, and with no weapons and four guards standing right outside he knew he would not leave this building alive.

* * *

><p>Legolas eyes flew open and he couldn't help the small groan that escaped his lips. A pain spread through his thigh and with clouded eyes he saw a hand around the hilt of a dagger, a dagger that was now embedded in his leg. 'Krethir' he thought as he slowly lifted his head, but what he saw though made his blood run cold.<p>

Aragorn.

A thousand thoughts flew through his mind, confusion overtaking his pain.

"Do it". He was vaguely aware of another person in the room, but it mattered little, Aragorn had come to save him, take him away from this place. A wash of relief swept over him as he dropped his head back down. Suddenly he felt the dagger embedded in his leg move, white hot pain flew up and down his leg, he thought he was pulling it out but somehow the pain grew worse. He was twisting the dagger... Aragorn was twisting the dagger. He couldn't stop himself from crying out, halfway between a cry of pain and of anguish. He tried to lift his head but his vision blurred, half from tears, half from the dizziness the pain brought.

The tangle of thoughts flew from his mind replaced with one simple question...

Why?

He did not get to find an answer, his mind clouded once more as his eyes grew heavy, the sound of laughter filled the cell, but not the same triumphant laughter that had filled it just hours earlier, this time it was laughter filled with pure malice. He drifted back into the darkness, happy to remove his mind from the emotional turmoil, the betrayal and the confusion as his heart tore in two.

* * *

><p>Aragorn sat down on his bed in the tavern, he had accomplished his goal, Braelor now trusted him. He sat unmoving as a tear slid down his cheek, he would never forget the look of betrayal on Legolas face, nor the cry that came from his lips caused by his own hand. How could he do this? Surely there had to be another way? He shook his head, no he had to do it, he had no choice, his only chance to free his friend meant being able to get near him when he was unbound and outside of that prison. He stared at his hands, the hands that had caused the suffering of his friend, not on in body but in mind as well, he knew the pain his action had caused, it was far more than Braelor could ever have imagined and it sickened him.<p>

There was a rap on the door and he rose from the bed to open it, not knowing if he could find his voice. There stood Adrenen with a plate of food and a mug of ale, he waved his hand to welcome him in and went back to his spot on the bed.

"What is it?" Asked Adrenen, his voice full of concern.

Aragorn just shook his head, eyes not moving from the floor. "Braelor has granted me permission to compete in the games".

"What?" Exclaimed Adrenen, perhaps a little too loudly.

"Calm down Adrenen, this is the only way I will get to be anywhere near my friend without him being bound" he sighed "I am going to need your help". He was reluctant to ask the boy for assistance, not out of pride like that stubborn elf, but through a desire to keep him away from harm, but for his plan to succeed he could not go this alone and he was determined now more than ever to free his friend from this misery.

"Anything!"

Aragorn smiled, the boy reminded him of himself at that age always getting into trouble and worrying about the consequences later. "It will be dangerous, if you do not wish to be involved I will fully understand, these are your people" he wanted to make sure the boy fully understood he had a way out of this should he choose.

"But I want to be involved, now that I have seen an elf up close, I know they are not like Braelor tells us". He furrowed his brow and crinkled his nose at the thought of Braelor lying to him.

Aragorn smiled again, "Thankyou Adrenen, now here's what I want you to do..."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Once again thankyou for your reviews! Effie17, Fallenqueen2 and Melanie-Baker, feel free to hug the elf, I think he needs it!

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><p>CHAPTER 7<p>

Aragorn awoke in the early hours of the morning, not that he had slept much that night, vivid dreams and thoughts keeping him from slumber. The games were being held that day and everything relied on one young boy to save his friends and put a stop to this madness. He hoped to get to the prison early to try and learn as much as he could about the games and what exactly was in store for that day. A feeling of regret now plagued him for not finding out the exact details on his meeting with Braelor, but the shock of the events the day before had not allowed his mind to think much past stumbling back to the inn.

He sat on the edge of the bed and eyed the still full plate of food that Adrenen had brought him, his stomach rumbled and a feeling of guilt washed over him. He doubted either of his elven friends had been given the luxury of food. He picked up a small wedge of cheese from the plate and forced himself to eat, he would need his strength, especially if the plan went ill. Finishing off the cheese and washing it down with the now stale mug of ale he prepared himself for the inevitable battle of both mind and body.

The suns rays cast long shadows on the ground as Aragorn walked down the road through the village, he could hear excited voices in the distance and much to his surprise there were people milling around the doors of the prison already. The excited yelling turned to hushed whispers as he approached and the crowd parted, obviously word had travelled fast both of Aragorns participation and of Braelors surprise twist. He couldn't help but feel anger towards these people, he knew in his heart they were not all to blame, but surely there had to be others like Adrenen? They couldn't all support this 'sport'? Yet here they all were, eagerly awaiting the death of another elf. The guards wordlessly opened the door and let Aragorn pass, shoving the crowd back as they closed the door behind him. Braelor was standing at the end of the corridor talking to who Aragorn assumed were other competitors. 'Executioners' he thought bitterly.

"Ahh Strider, it is good to see you here early". Braelor said in a sickeningly happy tone, dismissing the other men around him.

Aragorn strode forward, taking a silent breath to steady his mind, "I admit, curiosity kept me awake, I did not get a chance to fully discuss the rules with you yesterday".

"Rules? My good man, there are no rules, you just have to make sure you keep them alive until the crowd grow bored" Braelor chuckled with a smile that was pure malice. Aragorn simply resisted the urge to let his fist connect with the mans face. "As the guest here you will get your first choice of elf, the crowd seem rather excited to see a newcomer in the games. You have already met that sorry creature in cell number three, I shall have to introduce you to number four. Number four was rather, shall we say... talkative, so we had to find a way to silence him, I'm afraid he is much less fun now than number three".

Braelor pulled a keyring from his robes and clicked a brass key in the lock of the cell door to his left. Aragorn was afraid to look, he knew Calanon lie behind the door and from Braelors comments he would be in a similar, if not worse condition than Legolas had been. Although he did not know Calanon as well as he did Legolas, the elf had always been kind to him on his visits to Mirkwood and he knew that he and Legolas had a very close friendship. He prayed to the Valar he would not have to prove his loyalty any further.

"Come" Braelor beckoned him "He will not bite", a mischievous grin broke across Braelors face as he pushed the door open. Aragorn stepped into the cell, this one was different than Legolas', it was just as dark and dank, but in the centre of the room were two wooden poles rising from the ground. They were around four feet high and on top were large metal rings looped with ropes, in between them knelt a dark haired elf, head lowered, arms outstretched and hands bound to the tops of the poles at either side of him. Like Legolas he was shirtless, but his skin was marred with many more cuts, bruises and welts than his fair haired brother across the hall.

Aragorn walked over to stand next to Braelor who had positioned himself directly in front of the elf, it did not take long before Calanon slowly raised his head to meet Braelors eyes. Aragorns brow furrowed slightly as he caught sight of his face, almost the entire right side of his jaw was brilliant shades of black and purple. 'That explains how they kept him quiet' Aragorn thought grimly 'they have just been breaking his jaw over and over so he cannot speak'. The look on Calanons face when he caught sight of Aragorn was almost a mirror image of Legolas' the day before, one first of relief, followed by anguish and disbelief. Aragorn wished he could speak up, tell Calanon his plans, that he and Legolas would soon be free of this place, but he simply averted his eyes. It would not be much longer and he could not afford for either elf to unintentionally give away his position.

"Well, what do you think?" Braelor asked gesturing towards Calanon.

"This one looks half way to death already" Aragorn walked a circle around the elf bound in the centre of the room, assessing his condition. "If you would permit it I would much prefer the other one, at least he may prove to be more of a challenge". Suddenly Calanon lunged forward and strained against his bonds at hearing Aragorns vague reference to Legolas and the man instantly regretted his words. He looked over to Braelor, expecting him to lash out at the elf but all he heard was an amused snort, the man was clearly enjoying Calanons outburst. It was a mere hours before the start of the games and Braelor would not risk further damaging one of his prize attractions, he waved his hand to signal for Aragorn to follow him and turned for the door. Aragorn went to follow him out of the room but as he walked past Calanon he mouthed a single word to the irascible elf, 'eitho' /help/, Calanon narrowed his eyes and Aragorn could only hope he understood his intentions, he did not have time to say any more.

Aragorn followed Braelor back to the corridor and the door was locked behind him. "That one has been nothing but trouble. You are wise to choose number three, from what Krethir tells me the other one seems to be a leader of some sort". Braelors eyes narrowed and he looked lost in thought for a brief moment.

Aragorn cocked slightly, "How did you determine that my Lord?". Legolas was usually the last one to admit to his status, he despised formal events and he had no interest in ruling anything above a hunting party. Aragorn had spent many a day quietly laughing at the elfs ability to 'misplace' his royal circlet every time his father requested he wear it.

"I am familiar with their customs and trust me, three certainly holds some power where he comes from".

"My Lord, if he is of some importance would they not send out people to look for him? What if they have an army?" Aragorn was slightly stunned, Braelor had known about Legolas status, or at least known that he more than just an simple elf and yet he had made no change to his plans. Did this man realize how large Thranduils armada was? And how did he know about elven customs?

"It makes little difference, they have not found us before and they will not find us now". He waved Aragorns concerns off. "I have trained my men personally, and they do their job well, you have nothing to be concerned about Strider".

Aragorn took a risk, "how is it you know so much about them?".

"Oh I have had dealings with their kind before, their so called 'King' is responsible the death of my family". Braelors eyes became distant at the memory, but Aragorn knew it had to be false, the king was capable of many things, but killing innocent people was not one of them.

"Murdered?" he prompted, remembering Braelors previous words and trying not to let the disbelief show in his voice.

"Indeed, but that is enough about the past, we are here to talk about the games" he quickly changed the subject making it clear he would speak no more if it. Aragorn inclined his head in agreeance but his mind was buzzing with thoughts. What on Arda could have happened to make Braelor think that Thranduil had murdered anyone, much less his family? The very idea made Aragorn want to shake his head. "Do you require any weapons?" Braelor asked breaking him from his thoughts.

Aragorn shook his head, "I have my own" he thought for a moment, "however I was wondering if the elf had any weapons of his own?"

"Aye, I believe he did" Braelor looked at him questioningly.

"I think the crowd may find it satisfying to see the elf fall by his own blade" Aragorn explained, "may I request their use?"

Braelor pondered this for a moment, before nodding his head "You know, I think you will be a fine asset to these games indeed, I will have them brought to you".

* * *

><p>A few hours later nearly the entire village had gathered next to the prison, all pressed up against a low fence around a square yard talking amongst themselves, trying to figure out what Braelors twist would be. Guards were posted inside the yard against the fence, both to keep the villagers from getting in, and the contestants from getting out. Lord Braelor emerged from a side door of the prison with a host of men trailing behind him, among them were Aragorn and Krethir, the latter being none too pleased about not being given first preference in the fight. The crowd hushed as Braelor stepped into the centre of the yard.<p>

"It is good to see so many faces here today" He boomed to the crowd, "I know how much you have all enjoyed our games recently with our... newest editions, but this time I intend to up the stakes. I do hope these new changes are to your liking, I will not bore you with long speeches, you all know the routine by now, so sit back and enjoy the entertainment!" Braelor stepped back towards the gate at the side of the yard as the crowd cheered and gestured for his guards to go back to the prison. They returned a few moments later half dragging Calanon out into the light. "Our first contender will be Krethir and prisoner number four!"

"My Lord" Aragorn whispered to him "Why this one first, I would have thought number three would be the first in the yard?"

"Getting a little edgy are we? This one won't take long, he will simply serve to warm up the crowd, you will get your turn soon enough". Aragorn didn't know what to do, he had planned for himself and Legolas to be the first to fight, his whole plan to save both of the elves depended on it. Krethir stepped into the yard, a sword at his belt along with a host of other weaponry, daggers, knives, even a whip. The guards holding Calanon threw him into the yard and he hit the ground and rolled over in the dirt before rising to his feet, he looked as though he was in no condition to be standing let alone fighting. He glanced around the yard sizing up his options, Braelor had every angle covered, there was no escape. Even if he could slip past the guards and over the fence there was still a large crowd of onlookers now cheering and yelling obscenities at the elf.

Aragorn watched on, trying to find a way out for the elf himself, he locked eyes with Calanon for the briefest of moments, the look in Calanons eyes showed he no longer held any ill feelings towards the man and a sense of relief washed over Aragorn. The thought of either elf believing he was actually a part of this sick and twisted game made his stomach churn, at least one part of his plan has worked out thus far. Suddenly Krethir drew a long knife from his belt and threw it at Calanons feet, the elf stared at it for a moment before winced slightly as he bent down to pick it up, barely having time to straighten again before Krethir rushed at him, sword drawn and a look of rage in his eyes. Despite Calanons injuries he was still quick on his feet and he spun around, narrowly missing the hilt of Krethirs sword connecting with his already painful jaw. One thing that Aragorn noticed was that both of them seemed to be holding back. Every blow aimed at Calanon was not intended to be fatal and every move from the elf was merely to avoid being hit.

As time went by Krethir was showing signs of slowing down, he was a large man and clearly used to hard punches and swift strikes to take down his foes, endurance was not his strong point and Calanon was exploiting the fact. The crowd went from wild cheering to chanting in time for Krethir to finish the job. Krethir, too caught up in his moment of triumph made a fatal mistake, he lifted his sword high above his head to rain it down upon the elf. It was at the moment Calanon used his last ounce of strength to drive his knife directly into Krethirs exposed chest. Krethir's lifeless body dropped to the ground and the crowd fell silent.

Braelor was shocked, this was not what he had planned at all.

He turned to his guards... "Kill him!" he snapped.

Four guards immediately stepped forward from the edge of the yard, swords drawn. Aragorns froze, he had to do something, he had to stall them, "My Lord, would it not be more entertaining to see the other elf witnessing his demise?"

"Halt" Braelor called to his guards. "I believe you are right again Strider. Restrain him, and bring me the other elf!" he ordered the men.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

The guards returned from the stone prison, between them walked a golden haired elf, head held high despite being bound by heavy ropes behind his back. A silence fell over the crowd outside the yard, they simply stared as the elf was led along by the guards, some exchanged puzzled glances with one another, but none uttered a single word, they almost seemed transfixed by the fair being in front of them. They had seen plenty of elves before, they had watched them die at the hands of their own people, but never had they seen one like the creature before them. This elf was not like the others.

Many of Legolas injuries had faded thanks to his elven healing abilities, but he still obviously favoured his right leg and a dark red stain ran down his leggings. He blinked his eyes in the morning sun, almost forgetting the brightness of the world outside his gloomy cell, his heart welcomed the freedom from the darkness. A chill breeze whipped at his hair but he barely noticed, his attentions were focussed solely on the man standing in the centre of the yard. Braelor, Arms folded and a cold expression on his face simply glared at the approaching elf, the man nodded his head at one of the guards who proceeded to kick the elf in the back of the knees forcing him to kneel. Legolas held back a groan as pain shot up his leg, lowering his head to hide the unavoidable wince that passed his features he caught sight of the trails of blood that crossed over the ground and his eyes widened.

"You will pay for what your little friend has done here today elf" Braelor spat, as he walked over to him "your kind are nothing but murderers and traitors". This elicited a cry of approval from the crowd, whatever doubts they had about the elf forgotten as the fair being knelt before their Lord. Legolas eyes followed the trail of blood in the dirt, his heart beating wildly as they came to rest of the lifeless form of Krethir, slumped against the fence in the corner of the yard. A sudden panic came over him as he scanned the yard for Calanon, but the elf was nowhere to be seen.

Legolas heart sank, "What have you done to him?" he cried, struggling to stand only to be forced back down by the guards.

"Oh he will be taken care of, he killed one of my men, and for this he cannot be allowed to live, an eye for an eye isn't that right Strider?" At that moment Aragorn stepped forward from behind Legolas to stand next to Braelor.

Legolas stared in disbelief, he had hoped the events yesterday were nothing more than a dream, that it wasn't really Aragorn there in that cell, but here he was, standing before him actually taking part in this madness. "Nin gwerianneg" /You betrayed me/ Legolas whispered his voice cold and distant. How could he do this? He was his best friend, his brother in arms and now he seemed to have forgotten the past few decades, taking favor with these men.

Braelor reached out his hand and slapped the elf hard across the face, Legolas closed his eyes for a moment, regaining his composure before turning his head back slowly to give Braelor a chilling stare. His eyes flicked to Aragorn, giving him the same cold, heartless gaze, but then he noticed something, the look in Aragorns eyes. Fear. What did Aragorn have to fear? Something else bothered him, above Aragorns shoulder was the familiar hilt of his own blades.

"I think it's time to give you fine people what you want" Braelor announced. He pointed into the crowd, "You, come forward". A tall, burly man hopped over the fence and walked towards them. Braelor gestured to the guards to bring Legolas to his feet. "One hit and one hit only, there are many others eager for their turn" he warned. The man stepped over to Legolas, the corner of his mouth twitching into a smirk, Legolas could only fight the feeling of dread as the guards tightened their grip on his arms. The man balled his fist and laid a punch directly into the elfs ribs, they had barely mended from their last assault and easily snapped under the pressure.

Legolas let in an involuntary shaky gasp after the air had been forced from his lungs, he gritted his teeth together and focussed on steadying his breathing. He stole another look at Aragorn who was averting his eyes, no... he was looking for something beyond the crowd. Legolas tried to follow his line of sight but his attentions were drawn back to Braelor as he signalled another man from the crowd to step forward, this one was shorter but no less strong than the last man, he delivered a punch into Legolas stomach causing him jerk forward, a hiss escaping his lips as his ribs shifted and the air was once more forced from his lungs. A wave a nausea washed over him and he swallow hard. Braelor went to gesture for another man in the crowd to come forward but he was stopped by Aragorn.

"May I my Lord?" he questioned.

Braelor inclined his head in approval and Aragorn stepped forward.

'Not again' Legolas thought, 'if I am to die here, please let it not be by his hand, anyone but Aragorn' for his ultimate betrayal would be worse to him than a thousand deaths, it would not only kill him in body, it would serve to torture his spirit as well, dooming him to walk the Halls of Mandos for an eternity. He looked up at the man and furrowed his brow as Aragorn raised his eyebrow at him and cocked his head, it was only the slightest of movements so that the guards to either side of him would not notice but to the elf it had been as plain as day. He was planning something. Aragorn stepped around behind Legolas out of his line of sight, he heard him unsheathe a blade and felt a surge of confusion come over him that was beginning to be all too familiar.

"I do not want him to perish just yet" Braelor warned Aragorn. "Remember, we still have a special surprise for him" he nodded his head towards the back of the crowd.

"Oh he won't" Aragorn replied and in an instant he brought the knife down and cut the bonds behind Legolas back freeing his hands. Legolas suddenly felt a familar knife hilt in his hand as Aragorn placed his own blade in it. "Goheno nin gwador nin" /Forgive me my brother/ he whispered as he grabbed Legolas by the shoulders and swiftly pulled him backwards, the guards too stunned by the sudden action to keep their grip on his arms. Legolas almost fell over from the pain the sudden movement brought both to his injured leg and his broken ribs, but Aragorn held him firmly with one hand until he found his feet, drawing his sword with the other. The guards immediately spun around and drew their own swords.

"What is the meaning of this? Braelor roared, his brow furrowing in anger and confusion. "Seize them!". Two more guards came rushing over, swords drawn. Legolas twirled his knife is his hand, grateful for the comfort of the familar blade. He exchanged a glance with Aragorn as he prepared for the inevitable battle, hoping for some sort of insight into the mans plan but Aragorn just shook his head. He put his hand on Legolas shoulder, pulling him back slightly. He understood the gesture and slowly edged backwards with Aragorn until they were almost at the wall of the prison.

Legolas cocked his head to the side when he heard a low rumbling in the distance, it grew louder with each passing second and soon the villagers at the southern end of the yard were running and screaming in panic. The sound was almost deafening as a dozen horses came bolting through the village centre and leapt the fence into the yard, the last few breaking the boards as they charged through. Braelor and his guards barely had time to jump out of their way before being trampled.

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><p>This was the moment Aragorn had been waiting for, he knew Adrenen would come though for them, and just in time. A shadow of doubt had flicked across his mind when the boy had not shown himself earlier in the games, but it wasn't until Legolas had been brought out into the yard that Adrenen had signalled to Aragorn that he was ready to put their plan into action.<p>

"Hortho!" /Hurry/ he yelled to Legolas as he ran towards the horses. He jumped in front of one of the startled beasts and held up his hands, the stallion reared onto it's hind legs, pawing at the air, trying to defend itself from the sudden threat. Aragorn stepped to the side to avoid the horses thrashing hooves. "Hidh" /peace/ he chanted "Hidh mellon nin", the horse snorted and bobbed its head as its legs touched the ground. "Hidh" Aragorn reached out and stroked the beasts neck as its breathing slowed and it calmed under his touch. He breathed a sigh of relief as the horse nudged him with its nose.

Aragorn looked over to Legolas, the elf had not moved an inch, seemingly stunned by the sudden appearance of the horses, it was not surprising though, Aragorn could only imagine the thoughts running through the elfs mind. "Legolas! Hortho!" he yelled unable to help the slight panic from rising in his voice. They needed to get out of here, and fast, they had been temporarily separated from Braelor and his guards but this peace would not last for long, and Calanon was still being held on the other side of the yard. The elf blinked and his eyes flicked them around the yard as if he had seen nothing since he had been freed of his bonds. He jogged over, holding his ribs as he ran and Aragorn couldn't help the heaviness that enveloped his heart, he should have stopped this sooner.

Aragorn sheathed his sword and put his hands around Legolas waist, making sure he steered clear of his obviously pained ribs and easily lifted the elf onto the horses back. Legolas let out a sharp breath as he swung his leg over but made no protest to being assisted onto the horse, something that worried Aragorn greatly. There was no way the Prince of Mirkwood would allow a weakness to be shown unless something was seriously wrong.

Aragorn stepped away from the horse and Legolas gave him a quizzical look. "Calanon" he answered simply, not wanting to panic the elf. "Go, I will catch up to you, they cannot chase us both".

"I can help" Legolas breathed from atop the horse, one hand clutching his side, the other his dagger and a handful of the horses mane. Aragorns heart tore for the second time in as many days, despite all that had happened the elf was still loyal to his friends no matter what, willing to push past all barriers of pain and risk his own life to save them.

"No, please trust me Legolas, there is a wood not far to the south, wait for me there". He knew it was a tall order asking the elf to trust him after all he had done to him, but he hoped he had not broken their friendship enough for him not to trust his judgement. Legolas thought for a moment before nodding his head and urging the stallion out of the yard, galloping down the road to the south.

Aragorn watched his friend ride away as the confusion in the yard began to settle, the guards had managed to get several of the horses under control, and the rest were being ushered away to be dealt with later. Aragorn caught sight of Braelor as the horses parted, he stood on the opposite end of the yard, in front of him knelt a dark haired elf, head down and hands bound behind his back.

"Calanon" Aragorn whispered as he locked eyes with Braelor. The man drew a dagger from his belt and grabbed a handful of the elfs hair, forcing him to look at Aragorn.

"This man" Braelor asked him "Do you know him?" Calanon remained silent, Aragorn wasn't sure if it was because he was unable to speak or if he simply refused. The look in Calanons eyes tended to lean towards the latter. Braelor smirked, "it is no matter, I already know the answer to this riddle" he brought the dagger down and held it against the elf throat. Calanon locked eyes with Aragorn and mouthed a single word at him.

Legolas.

Aragorn furrowed his brow, Calanon knew Braelor had every intention of ending his life, yet the only request he made was in knowing that his friend was safe. Aragorn nodded his head and Calanon visibly relaxed, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply before Braelor drew the knife across his throat.

"NO!"


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** I know I have done this a lot but once again thank you to my reviewers, you have no idea what your kind words mean to me!  
>Please don't kill me for this chapter, it is a shorter one but you will see why at the end... Gosh I'm mean :p<p>

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><p>CHAPTER 9<p>

Adrenen shakily unlatched the last stall in the stable and swung the low door open, he could feel his heart beating inside his chest as his nerves started to surface. He thought he could do this, it was such a simple task, but the threat of being caught was just too much for him. He had never done anything daring in his life! Most of his days were taken up working in his uncles inn, serving drinks, cleaning the rooms and washing the laundry. He didn't even have many friends, most of the other boys liked playing warrior games, and he didn't like fighting, he much preferred to sit in his room and daydream of far away places, lands that only existed in his imagination.

No more than an hour ago it had been like any other day at the games, the crowd had gathered, Braelor made his speech and the ale started flowing, but this time once the games began, his whole view of the world changed. No longer did he just have a shadow of a doubt about the games being wrong, now he knew in his heart that they had to be stopped. If it hadn't been for this stranger coming to his village, if he hadn't sat in his room until he mustered up the courage to speak to him then who knows how long this could have continued for, and how many more elves would have perished.

He had been forced to watch as Striders friend fought, he had watched as one of his mentors was killed by the elfs hand, and he was forced to watch as they beat him and dragged him away to the back of the crowd out of sight. It took all his strength not to shed a tear and give himself away, both for the elf and for Krethir. It was true that Krethir had played one of the biggest parts in the elves demise, but Adrenen still could not help feeling sorrow over his death, he had known the man his entire life and he had taught him some good lessons along with the bad. It had been Krethir who told him stories about the forests and plains outside of the village, stories of dwarves and dragons that inspired his own dreams. But his mourning would have to wait, he had a task to complete and he wouldn't let his new friend Strider and the elves down.

When Striders golden haired friend had been brought into the yard the crowd fell silent, their attentions focussed solely on the elf being led into the yard. Adrenen almost became transfixed by the fair being himself, not bearing to tear himself away, but when he caught sight of Aragorn stepping into the yard he had forced himself to collect his thoughts. If he were to slip away, that was the perfect time while the crowd were so distracted, he locked eyes with Aragorn and gave him a simple hand gesture before swiftly but carefully slipping back through the crowd and heading for the stables.

Adrenen took a deep breath as he mind ran over the last few minutes, he led the last stallion out into the walkway with the other horses and patted him softly on the nose. "I'm sorry" he whispered, "but we need your help". The stallion almost seemed to nod in approval as Adrenen pushed open the barn doors, he drew a short, stiff piece of leather from his pocket, he gave the horse one last pat on the nose before stepping around him and slapping the leather hard on the stallions flank. The horses sudden shock from the blow caused a chain reaction and all dozen horses bolted out of the stable down the main road through the village.

He waited for the dust to settle before stepping out of the barn and watching the horses stampede away from him, wondering and hoping that everything would go as Strider had planned. He bit his lip and fiddled with the piece of leather in his hand for a moment, he knew what he was about to do was not wise but his mind had already been made up. He threw the piece of leather on the ground and jogged down the road after the horses.

* * *

><p>"NO!"<p>

Aragorn closed his eyes briefly, his heart suddenly felt as though it were as heavy as stone. He knew that voice all to well, it was the sound of innocence, the sound of kindness and at the moment, the very sound of despair.

"Well well, isn't this an interesting turn of events" Braelor said as he wiped the blood from the dagger on a piece of cloth "I admit I did not think you would be involved in this my boy". Aragorn looked over to Adrenen as the boy slowly walked up behind him, he looked shocked, not only from witnessing Calanons death but it seemed from the simple fact he had spoken up, like his own voice had betrayed him. Aragorn sighed inwardly, he was not supposed to be here, after he released the horses he was supposed to go straight back to the inn and wait for his uncle with a feigned illness. No-one would suspect a thing, he could go on living his life and not have to face any consequences.

"The boy had nothing to do with this Braelor" Aragorn growled.

"Oh Strider, ever faithful, though it seems your choice in friends is somewhat lax, why you would side with these murderous creatures is beyond me" he curled his lip in disgust as he shoved Calanons lifeless form onto his back with his boot, the elfs eyes gazed unseeing up at the sky, a strange look of peace crossing his features. "You could have been a great leader here, your ideas for the games were quite ingenious, had you allowed them to be followed through".

Aragorn felt the sudden urge to draw his sword but was interrupted by Adrenen bumping into his back. He spun around to find the boy standing face to face with four of Braelors guards, they were surrounded. A brief moment of panic flushed Aragorn, had he been on his own he would have tried to overpower the guards and make for the horses just outside the yard, but he would not risk the boys life in such a way. Two people had already needlessly died this day and he did not intend to add to the tally. He had planned every detail so there was minimal risk to Adrenen, what on Arda was he thinking coming back to the yard?

Braelor laughed from behind him "you have nowhere to go Strider, and YOU my boy, you will be punished for your impudence". Adrenen visibly tensed at Braelors threat and Aragorn placed his hand on his shoulder, it was a small comfort, but Adrenen seemed to calm slightly knowing that he wasn't in this alone. He turned his head and looked back at Aragorn with an emotion the man had not seen in him before, determination. It seemed Adrenen had chosen a side, and knowing he was on the side of justice gave him a new strength.

Aragorns eyes flicked back to the guards in front of him, he leaned into the boys ear. "How fast can you run"? he whispered. Adrenens eyes widened slightly at the question before realizing what the man was asking him, he simply nodded in reply. Aragorn took a deep breath, and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, he did not want to do this, it was far too much of a risk, but at the moment there seemed to be no other options. He would have thought that Braelor would not harm his own people, but now Adrenen had revealed himself as helping Aragorn, and in turn helping the elves he could not be sure. This mans hatred ran deeper than anything Aragorn had ever seen, it twisted his mind into a demented obsession, and Aragorn would rather risk his own life than put an innocent boy in harms way.

He tightened his grip on his sword and drew one last deep breath, taking in this brief moment of peace. "Now!" he cried and Adrenen bolted as fast as he could towards the road to the south as Aragorn drew his sword. He saw the indecision on the guards faces as whether to give chase or stay with Aragorn and their Lord, their eyes flicking between the two as their hands went for their swords. However their decision was quickly made when Aragorn raised his own sword and turned on his heel, making a direct line for Braelor.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** I'm very sorry for the slow updates on the last few chapters, I have had this awful flu and have barely got out of bed. Things should be back on track again from now on.

Melanie, you have made a very good point, I never mentioned the timeline for this story! Sorry about that I have fixed the summary to show the time. It is set about 20 years before Fellowship of the Ring.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER 10<p>

Legolas urged the stallion on as it galloped along the plain, every second putting more distance between himself and the village behind him. The confusion he felt over Aragorns actions was now replaced by an immense feeling of guilt and shame. He knew in his heart that he would be more of a hindrance than a help, it took every ounce of his strength just to stay seated on the charging steed, but he had never abandoned a friend before, let alone a brother, and he was now doing both. He whispered to the horse and it trotted to a stop atop the hill, turning around to face back towards the village in the distance.

He let out an involuntary sigh and was suddenly reminded of the pain his shattered ribs caused him, he brought his hand up to his side in a vain attempt to lessen the hurt. It wasn't until the excitement had worn off that he truly noticed how bad his injuries were, he had sustained many wounds before, but they had always been in battle. The pain of his current ailments seemed to be even greater than ever knowing they were caused while he was in a position of total helplessness.

His heart ached at the thought that he truly believed Aragorn would betray him, he should have known the man, his brother, would never do such a thing. He closed his eyes, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall, there was nothing he could say to Aragorn to excuse his actions, in his mind him thinking Aragorn had betrayed him was just as bad as if the man had actually done so. He should have trusted him. He shook his head, it all just seemed so real, Aragorns actions in the cell, his believable 'friendship' with Braelor, he just hoped the man could forgive him.

His mind toyed with the idea of returning to the village, he couldn't bare not knowing what fate had befallen Calanon. Aragorn had orchestrated this whole escape, that was for certain, but how? He prayed to the Valar he would return to him unharmed and that he could bring Calanon to safety. He gazed into the distance and saw a cloud of dust rising from the earth at a horses hooves, shielding his eyes he focussed his vision on the rider. He furrowed his brow slightly when he realized who was charging out of the village. The boy, the same boy that had been in his cell with Krethir.

'What is he running from?' he thought to himself, he knew there was something different about this human child, but he still could not be certain as to his intentions. Fearing a trap he spurred his horse over the crest of the hill out of sight, he would wait for the boy to approach from here. He swung his leg over the stallions back to dismount and dropped to the ground, as he did his legs buckled underneath him as he suddenly felt weak. He clutched at his ribs as he sank down to the ground on his knees, his knife falling carelessly in the dirt. His mind felt foggy and his heart was racing, he could hear the boy in the distance steadily getting closer, the rhythmic hoof beats vibrating the earth. He attempted to stand but a wave of dizziness came over him, spots danced before his eyes before he fell in a rather undignified fashion to the ground. The last thing he saw a grey horse skidding to a stop before his world turned black.

* * *

><p>Aragorn charged towards Braelor, the usually calm and stoic ranger barely able to keep his anger in check. Braelors eyes grew wider with every step Aragorn took, he was alone and vulnerable, so used to being in total control that he could do nothing but freeze as the glinting sword came closer. Aragorn gripped the hilt tightly with both hands as he swung the blade around, aiming directly for Braelors neck. The man barely had time to move before he felt the cold steel on his skin, he flinched and waited for the final blow to come but was shocked when it didn't, he opened his mouth to speak but as he gazed into Aragorns anger filled eyes he stopped.<p>

"I should kill you for what you have done here" Aragorn spat. "Drop it", he eyed the dagger in Braelors hand and the man let it clatter to the ground. Aragorn slowly took a step towards Braelor, letting the sword at his neck slide along its edge against the mans skin, making a shallow but painful cut along the side of his neck. In truth Aragorn had only barely managed to stop himself in time so as to not kill the man where he stood, but he knew it would be a mistake. Legolas would want to know why this man had killed his friend, why he had such a hatred for his kind, and he was sure whatever Thranduil would plan for this man would be a thousand times worse than death. 'Why he had killed his friend', that thought only served to remind him of the painful conversation he would have to have with the elf later.

Braelors eyes betrayed him as they flicked past Aragorns shoulder and the man then knew the guards must be approaching him from behind. He released his left hand from his sword and drew a dagger from his belt, in the blink of an eye he lowered his sword and darted around behind Braelor, holding the dagger to his throat. The guards who were mere feet away from where Aragorn had been standing immediately stopped, they looked to Braelor for instruction but the man was too dumbfounded to come up with a solution.

"You" Aragorn nodded to one of the guards, "you will take these men inside the prison". The guards nervously glaced at each other before looking to Braelor, unsure of what to do. "Now!" Aragorn ordered as he pressed the knife into Braelors throat for emphasis, "leave your weapons on the ground".

"Do it you fools" Braelor finally spoke up, both panic and anger creeping into his voice and the guards dropped their swords to the ground. Aragorn followed them across the yard, pushing Braelor along with him, the dagger never leaving the mans throat. He heard disbelieving voices as one by one the crowd began to gather once more, confused by the sudden turn of events but too frightened to make any attempt to stop him. The guards stepped through the door into the main corridor of the prison and turned back to Aragorn, concern for their lord the only thoughts on their minds. 'If only they showed that same concern for the elves' Aragorn thought to himself as he pointed his sword towards an open cell at the end of the hall.

"Get inside" he ordered, his eyes filled with a fire the guards could simply not ignore as they stepped towards the door of the cell.

"Strider my friend, perhaps we can come to some sort of agreement" Braelor pleaded, Aragorn had not killed him so he clearly thought he must have other plans for him.

Aragorn ignored his request and sheathed his sword before reaching into Braelors robes retrieving the ring of keys from his pocket. He guided Braelor over to the cell containing the guards and used his free hand to lock them inside. "You my 'Lord' are coming with me, there is someone who would very much like to meet you", Braelor visibly tensed. Aragorn did not usually enjoy playing mind games, but he got a grim satisfaction from evoking fear in this ill-minded man, he could not kill him, but that did not mean he couldn't make the man suffer.

He grabbed a rope hanging on the wall nearby and bound Braelors hands before returning to his position behind him, pointing the tip of the dagger into the mans back, there was little Braelor could do, but Aragorn certainly did not want to risk him running off seeking protection from the villagers. He pushed him forwards towards the side door of the prison and they walked back out to the yard. More villagers had gathered now, the newcomers letting out a shocked cry at the sight of their Lord bound and being held at knife point.

Aragorn sighed inwardly, he knew how bad this looked to the people, but he could not explain the reasons behind his actions now. Telling these people that what Braelor was doing was wrong would be folly, they would need to be shown, to let their own eyes decide, and that was something Aragorn could not provide them at the moment. He felt Braelor tense once more and he dug the dagger at his back into the skin a little harder, not permitting the man to speak to the villagers.

"Good people of The Hollow" Aragorn begged their attention, "Your Lord will be accompanying me on a little trip, you will not attempt to follow us out of this village". The crowd murmured amongst themselves and Aragorn heard traces of 'who is he?', 'my Lord!' and 'please no'. He really could sympathise with these people, they had no idea just how twisted their Lord really was, to them this life was all they knew, and not knowing anything else they simply thought it was normal. "I will return in one week to this village, and you have my assurances your Lord will remain unharmed providing you cooperate" He resisted the urge to let out a sigh at that last statement. He threw the prison keys at one of the men who caught them on reflex, "You may release the guards in one hour, no less".

Aragorn left no time for questions or objections as he pushed Braelor forward along the road, keeping his eyes forward but on high alert should someone decide to take action against him. There were a lot of strong men in this village, but even the strongest men did not seem willing to risk harm to their Lord. He picked up speed as they made their way through the crowd, heading towards the entrance to the village, Braelor had remained silent through this ordeal and Aragorn had to wonder if this usually outspoken, brash man was genuinely worried, or if he himself was planning something.

Aragorn glanced over his shoulder as they finally stepped out of the village and began crossing the plain, the villagers had barely moved fom the end of the road, but all eyes were watching. In one weeks time he hoped all of their troubles and misgivings could be solved. He knew Thranduil would take action against Braelor, but he was hoping he could convince the King that not the entire village was at fault. And despite Aragorns longing to find out more from this 'Lord' he knew it was not his place to ask it of him yet, he had been summoned to find the missing elves, not to interrogate anyone.

"You will not get away with this" Braelor hissed breaking the silence. "They will come for me, mark my words".

"That is where you are wrong my 'Lord', you have these people trained to follow your every whim, believe everything you say, their loyalty to you ensures they will want to keep you safe, and trust me I would have no problem in killing you myself should they decide to follow us, this they know". there was no lie in Aragorns words, he really would have no problem in killing this man, and even though he knew he could not, the very thought was enough to make his words all the more convincing to Braelor.

They walked across the plain in silence from then on, both lost in their own thoughts, Braelors about how he was going to escape this mess and Aragorns about what he was going to tell his elven friend. Aragorn sighed, just how do you tell someone that their friend is dead, all because you failed to stop the actions of a madman. He replayed the scene in his mind a hundred times over, looking for any loophole or angle that he could have done differently but he came up with nothing. Had it not been for Adrenen he may have not only lost a friend this day, but a brother as well. This man could not be bargained with, his hatred was so strong even the promise of a thousand dwarven jewels would not have stopped him from carrying out his lust for blood.

His heart felt heavy at having to leave Calanons body behind but there really was no other way. He needed to get out of the village quickly before the shock had worn off and the villagers decided to take action against him. There was no time to even search out a horse let alone try to carry away a body and stop Braelor from escaping.

They reached the top of the hill at the other end of the plain and just over the crest Aragorn saw something shining in the dirt, he pushed Braelor forward and crouched down to retrieve it. There lay a long elven blade, identical to the one strapped to his own back. He tried to hide his look of worry from Braelor, Legolas would never just leave on of his precious weapons behind unless something terrible had happened.

"Hmph, guess he got what's coming to him after all" Braelor said smugly. Aragorn stood up so fast it almost made his head spin and held the elven blade against Braelors throat.

"You will remain silent, do you understand?" Aragorn tried to keep the emotion from his voice but failed miserably. Braelor simply raised his head slightly, a satisfied look on his face. Aragorn grunted slightly before removing the knife from his throat and crouching back down into the dirt. From the tracks on the ground Legolas has certainly been here, he had dismounted his horse just over the hill, but he noticed something else, signs that his body had hit the ground. He scanned the dirt for any signs of a struggle but found none, the only tracks leading away from the site were from two horses. He straightened and shoved Braelor in the direction of the tracks, silently praying no harm had come to the elf.


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

Legolas blinked his eyes groggily as he returned to the waking world. The last thing he remembered was being atop the hill near the village, yet now he was lying on his back looking up into a canopy of trees. Covering his chest was a woollen jacket that seemed vaguely familiar to him, he strained his memory trying to recall who the jacket belonged to but his mind was too foggy. He attempted to sit himself up but a pain shot through his ribs and he sank back down to the ground, it seemed to be even worse now than before making him instantly believe he had been taken by one of villagers and treated to their 'hospitality' again.

"Oh please don't get up" a quiet voice pleaded from behind him, he strained his head around to see the young boy from the village walking towards him. His heart sank slightly at the thought of this boy was responsible for his recapture, he thought he was different, that he didn't feel the same as the others.

"Who are you? And what am I doing here?" Legolas demanded mustering as much strength in his voice as he could. Even laying, broken on the ground his voice still held an air of nobility.

The boy cast his eyes downward, almost looking ashamed. "My... my name is Adrenen. Your friend Strider said he would meet me here, but then I found you and well..."

"Strider sent you?" Legolas spirits were lifted, so this boy wasn't part of the games after all, if Aragorn had trusted him as well obviously his own thoughts about him must be correct as well. Aragorn had planned for them both to meet here in these woods and that was most encouraging.

"Yes, he told me to let the horses out so that you could escape and then to go back to my home, but then when I went back and saw your other elf friend..." Adrenen clapped his hand over his mouth and his eyes grew wider.

"What about him?" Legolas felt a flash of panic grip him as he sat himself up, fear and concern now overriding the pain. If anything had happened to Calanon he would never forgive himself, he shouldn't even have come on this quest to begin with, it was only his loyalty for Legolas and to his King that he had volunteered.

"Umm well... I really think you should be lying down sir"

"Adrenen, please, what did you see?"

Adrenen sighed as he sat cross legged in the dirt under the trees and he began to tell Legolas everything that had happened.

* * *

><p>Aragorn led Braelor towards the edge of the forest, the man had barely said two words on their journey other than demanding to be released, something Aragorn was thankful for, he really had no desire to converse with the man. They walked along the edge of the trees, following the tracks until they finally turned into the woods. Aragorn was about to call out when Adrenen came running through the trees to meet him, skidding to a stop when he saw Braelor.<p>

"You miserable little whelp!" Braelor spat "how dare you betray your Lord like this!" Adrenen cringed and shrank backwards.

"Silence!" Aragorn warned him and Braelor gave him a look as cold as the snow on Caradhras. Aragorn simply ignored the mans icy gaze and turned back to the boy, "Adrenen what is wrong?" The boy looked very nervous and not just because of Braelors outburst.

"It's your friend, he's hurt pretty bad and well, I'm sorry, it just sort of slipped out!" he flicked his eyes over at Braelor before casting them down in their customary position at the ground.

"What slipped out Adrenen?" Aragorn had a sinking feeling at what the boys answer to his question would be.

"I told him about the other elf" That sinking feeling turned into a slight moment of panic, Aragorn knew Legolas was going to react badly to Calanons death, even with the news coming from him, but coming from a boy he didn't know? He wasn't sure what state of mind the elf would be in once they reached him.

Aragorn sighed slightly. "It's okay Adrenen, he needed to be told anyway" He clapped his hand on the boys shoulder in a gesture of forgiveness before turning to Braelor. He spun the man around and began untying his bonds, he caught a glance at Adrenen who looked suddenly very worried at the thought Braelor would be unbound, but Aragorn nodded to him that it would be okay. He brought the knife back to Braelors throat as the last knot was undone and lead him over to a young tree, he forced the man to sit at the base of the tree and bound his hands behind him around the trunk. At least this way Legolas would not have to face his captor, and Calanons killer until he was ready, Braelor would be safe here and there was no way he could escape.

"You're just going to leave me here?" the man roared.

"Do not fear, we will return... eventually". Aragorn gave a small smirk as he walked away through the trees following Adrenen, Braelor firing off a chain of obscenities in their direction. They walked through the forest for a short time and came to a small clearing, in the centre small logs and sticks had been piled up ready to make a fire. On the opposite side, propped up against a tree with a jacket draped over him was rather dishevelled looking golden haired elf, head resting on the tree trunk, eyes closed.

Aragorn sprinted across the clearing and almost tripped as he crouched down beside Legolas. He put his hand on the elfs bare shoulder and gently shook him to try and rouse him. Legolas let out a soft groan and Aragorn breathed a sigh of relief, at least he was only sleeping and not unconscious, though it still worried him that the elf had fallen asleep with his eyes closed, he must be in a terrible amount of pain. "Legolas" he whispered as he shook his shoulder again and the elf let out another groan as his eyes flickered open.

"Aragorn?" He breathed, almost sounding disbelieving.

"Aye, I am here, and you are safe" Legolas blinked his eyes a few more times as his mind fully awoke and he nodded his head in understanding. Aragorn took a deep breath and tried to calm his mind, he knew he would never be able to find the right words for what he was about to say next but if he didn't just come out and say it now he might not get another chance.

"Legolas... I know there is never a good time to say such things, but Adrenen has informed me that you know what happened after your departure from the village. The only thing I can say to you is that I am truly sorry, I would beg of your forgiveness but I would not be surprised should you not be willing to give it". It was the honest truth, he truly did not expect the elf to forgive him, but as his friend and brother he had to at least try.

"Aragorn" Legolas looked him straight in the eye and there was something there that Aragorn did not expect. "Adrenen did tell me what happened, he told me everything that happened, which is why there is nothing to forgive. There was nothing you could have done, and blaming yourself will not help anyone".

It was Aragorns turn to show disbelief "You hold no ill will?"

"Of course not, not towards you my brother, the only ill will I feel is reserved for Braelor alone". Aragorn was so relieved he wanted to just grab the elf and embrace him but he managed to stop himself. He had still lost a very close friend and he would need time to grieve, he wondered if bringing Braelor along was such a good idea after all, Legolas seemed to be coping with the terrible news and he did not want to make the situation worse. "I am fine" Legolas said suddenly, seeming to read his thoughts. Aragorn raised an eyebrow at him, the elf was far from 'fine', he knew his inner pain was simply being masked by the elfs stubborn and proud exterior, but the look in Legolas eyes told him to drop the subject.

"Well then, let me see to these wounds" Aragorn obliged his unspoken request, taking a mental note to question the elf about it later, pride or no pride he could not keep his feelings bottled up forever, allowing them to fester and grow until they consumed him. If there was one thing that an elf could not avoid, it was handling grief, if they did not deal with their emotions it could often be their undoing.

Aragorn grabbed the jacket covering the elf and pulled it away, what he saw nearly made him gasp. Legolas entire right side was a bloom of colors, fresh bruises covered his ribs and spread almost to his stomach. He did not look this bad when he rode away from the village. "Legolas what happened?"

"It was my fault sir" Adrenen piped up from behind him looking ashamed as he walked over to them, the boy was so quiet Aragorn had almost forgotten he was there in the clearing with them.

"It was not your fault Adrenen" Legolas told him "I have already told you, your actions could have saved my life".

"But-"

"Adrenen-"

"Stop! Will someone please tell me what is going on here?" Aragorn cut in and stopped them before they started going around in circles.

Legolas laughed at Aragorns frustration causing him to wince slightly as his ribs shifted. He closed his eyes briefly before explaining. "I passed out just outside the village, Adrenen found me and managed to get me back onto my horse, though I am still not sure how, he refuses to tell me that one" he smiled slightly at Adrenen who turned a lovely shade of pink. "Apparently however he managed it, he had to lay me across the horse on my stomach". Aragorn visibly winced, if his ribs were broken then having them pounding against a horses back repeatedly would certainly account for the bruising.

Aragorn turned back to the boy. "Well Adrenen, I have to agree with Legolas I'm afraid, if you had not taken him away then someone from the village could have easily found him, and that outcome would have been a lot worse than a few bruises". Adrenen turned an even darker shade of pink and Aragorn smiled. "Here, I have a job for you" he distracted the boy and saved him from his embarrasment.

Adrenens eyes lit up. "Anything!"

Aragorn smiled again remembering his reaction in the inn the last time he asked a favor of him. He pulled a sprig of athelas from his pocket, "Can you go into the woods and see if you can find any more of this plant?"

"I think I saw some when I was collecting the wood" he pointed to the stack in the centre of the clearing "I'll be right back!"

"Adrenen wait!" Legolas called to him and the boy stopped in his tracks "will you please take your coat now?" Adrenen had a look of slight indecision as he walked over and picked up his coat, shivering slightly as he put it on before setting off on his mission to find the athelas. Aragorn raised his eyebrow questioningly at Legolas. "He wouldn't believe me that I don't feel the cold"

"I am not surprised, it would seem strange to those who do not know about elven ways, although I must admit even I am tempted to keep you covered at the moment" He couldn't help but laugh as Legolas rolled his eyes. He sighed again, when he looked back at the elfs side "There is not much I can do for those ribs here other than some herbs for the pain. I can treat your leg once Adrenen returns" He was almost too afraid to mention that particular wound, the very wound he himself had caused. He eyed Legolas to judge his reaction but was surprised for the second time when the elf smiled at him.

"I know what you are thinking Aragorn and yes I was hurt deeply when it first happened, but that was when I believed you were allied with Braelor, now I know it was all an act, you did what was necessary to make him believe. This is not like you to second guess your actions". Aragorn sighed, Legolas was right, this was not like him, but this situation was certainly not something he had experienced before. Before he could get a chance to respond he noticed Legolas staring into the woods back towards the plains, his head cocked to the side.

"I hear someone". Aragorn closed his eyes and let out a deep breath, he was hoping not to have to tell Legolas that Braelor was with them just yet but thanks to Legolas uncanny elven hearing he now had no choice. "Aragorn, you know who it is do you not?".

"Aye I do, I did not want to have to tell you this now, and please hear my explanation before you judge" Legolas had been understanding about all his previous actions but this one may just be one step too far. "It is Braelor"

"What? You brought that murderer with you?"

Aragorn mentally cringed "Legolas please, hear me out. He is bound to a tree not far from here, he cannot cause any more harm, the only reason I did not kill the man myself was out of respect for you and for your father. I thought you would want to know why all this had happened and the only person who can tell us that is Braelor himself".

Legolas sighed and closed his eyes "You are right. Forgive me, it is just a shock to hear that he is so close. What do you intend to do with him?"

"He will be accompanying us back to the Mirkwood, I have a feeling that once he confronts the King he will be more inclined to talk". The fact that Braelor had accused the King of murdering his family was not something he intended to tell Legolas unless he needed to. If anyone could get Braelor to talk it would be Thranduil, especially since he seemed to be the centre of Braelors hatred. "But do not worry, we will rest here tonight and he will stay far away until you are ready to leave". Legolas simply nodded in understanding, he certainly had no desire to lay eyes upon the man at the moment.

"I found it!" Adrenen called as he returned from his search, handing the athelas to Aragorn. Aragorn smiled at him and bowed his head in thanks. "I was wondering, I heard the elf, I mean Legolas! calling you Aragorn, is that your real name? And what was that about a king? And where is Mirkwood?" Adrenen was speaking so fast they could barely keep up.

Aragorn and Legolas both laughed "One question at a time my friend" Aragorn stood up and put his hand on the boys shoulder. "Yes my real name is Aragorn, the king we spoke of is Thranduil, the Elvenking of Mirkwood and Mirkwood itself is a 3 day walk from here, that is our destination". Adrenen thought for a moment and nodded seemingly satisfied with the answers, although Aragorn had a feeling it wouldn't be long before another string of questions would come their way. He couldn't fault the boy for being both curious and excited, he doubted he had ever left the village and he definitely had reason to be asking questions.

"Now, I am going to go check on our 'guest'. It should be dark soon then we can light the fire, Adrenen you have done a wonderful job collecting the wood here"

"Indeed, it was all here when I awoke earlier, he didn't want to light it incase someone saw the smoke, certainly a clever one" Adrenen blushed all shades of pink but didn't say a word, his just scuffed his feet in the dirt obviously not used to being complimented so well.

Aragorn removed his overcoat and threw it down next to Legolas "Put this on" he ordered.

"Haven't we already discussed this?"

"You may be immune to the cold but you aren't immune to mosquitos, the fire will be going soon I will be fine" Legolas mumbled something incoherant before gingerly leaning forward and putting the coat over his back. "I will be back soon". Aragorn strode away from their makeshift camp towards where he had left Braelor, it was going to be a long night.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N**: Thankyou for the reviews guys and also a big thankyou to all those who have added this story to their alert lists, hope you guys are still enjoying it! For those who love the action based chapters there will be more coming soon, promise.  
>I didn't realize how many supporters Calanon had, he was such a good kid and no he didn't deserve to die, to take a quote from LotR: "<em>Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life"<em>. There is certainly one person in this story who deserves death... but will it find him?

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><p>CHAPTER 12<p>

The four travellers had been on the road for three days now, they took turns utilising the horses, all save Braelor who elected to walk the entire way, declaring he did not need any assistance from 'a filthy elf and his friends'. Legolas kept his distance from the man, spending most of the time scouting the path ahead. The first day had been the hardest, he wouldn't admit it, but the sorrow he felt almost consumed him. Every time he looked at Braelor he saw Calanon and all the other elves who had perished and it almost felt as though a part of himself died each time. He knew Aragorn suspected his inner pain, but thankfully the man said nothing of it, he knew he could not run from his grief, but he could prolong dealing with it at least until they reached the safety of his fathers Halls.

The times when they made camp had been difficult, winter was fast approaching and the nights were bitter and cold so they had no choice but to allow Braelor close to the camp fire. Aragorn had kept him as silent as possible, something Legolas was immensely grateful for. If he had to hear one more time how 'despicable' or 'evil' he was he was not going to be responsible for his actions, and he was fairly confident Aragorn was feeling much the same from the glares he sent the man every time he so much as opened his mouth.

After the first night Legolas injuries had almost healed, much to Adrenens fascination, the boy was constantly asking him questions about the elves and about Mirkwood. Legolas was all to happy to answer them, the boys enthusiasm was infectious and each day he grew more and more confident around his new friends despite the mocking from Braelor. He even took part in hunting for their meals and Aragorn was teaching him how to find animal tracks in the dirt. The boy was quite skilled with a blade, no doubt from his training received in the village as a future competitor in the games, but it served him well in hunting and he was quite proud of the deer he provided them with at last nights meal.

Legolas missed the comfort of his bow when hunting, he had been forced to leave it behind in the village, not knowing where Braelor had kept it. Although he was also skilled with his blades, he longed to feel the bite of a string under his fingers, he was well known among his people for his skills in archery and had won many bets because of it, usually against his father much to his dismay. Hunting was certainly much harder without the advantage of being able to use your weapon from a distance so he was even more surprised at Adrenens catch given he had killed the animal with not only a blade but without the added advantage of elven stealth.

Now Legolas was almost home a mix of excitement, relief and anxiousness washed over him. He did not know how his father was going to take this news, or how he would react to them bringing the man who had caused his people so much pain into his very home. He sighed as he scanned the tree line at the edge of Mirkwood for any signs of danger before turning to walk back to Aragorn and the others.

"Legolas, man cenich?" /What do you see?/ Aragorn asked, as the days went by he was speaking more and more Elvish, purely to aggravate Braelor. Legolas resisted a smile and simply raised an eyebrow at Aragorn. "Man cenich?" he repeated.

Legolas shook his head and feigned worry "I ven hen vaer" /The road is good/.

"That is a concern" Aragorn switched back to Westron so Braelor could understand. He rubbed the stubble on his chin, looking as though in deep thought "well, we will have to enter the forest regardless, be on the lookout".

"What is up ahead?" Braelor asked, a tinge of worry in his voice.

Aragorn had to force the smile off his face before turning around the face Braelor "That is not of your concern, no harm will come to you if we can avoid it. Now move, we need to find a suitable place to camp before the last leg of our journey".

Legolas had to concentrate on not laughing himself at Aragorns mischief, but a glance at Adrenens alarmed expression sobered him and he pulled the boy aside to explain that they really were in no danger. The northern borders rarely saw any orcs or spiders, they only ever encountered the occasional lone wanderer lost from the rest of their troupe. They walked into the forest leading the horses behind them and Legolas instantly felt his heart lighten. He closed his eyes and breathed in the smell of the familiar wood, the trees rustled their leaves and their branches almost seemed to bend towards him, welcoming him home.

Legolas glanced back at Braelor who was looking increasingly more nervous the deeper they went into the forest, he wasn't sure if it was from Aragorns cryptic warning or if it was the actual forest itself that was unnerving him. He had to admit, this forest could be deceptive, which is why travellers were always told to stick to the paths, but he had lived here for thousands of years, he knew the trees and he trusted them not to lead him astray.

After a few hours of walking they came across a clearing and started setting up camp for the night. Legolas knew this clearing well, he had camped here many times as an elfling. There was a small stream not far away and an abundance of wildlife gathered to drink from it, it really was a beautiful place to stop. Braelor was once again bound to a tree near where the fire would be situated and Legolas set off to gather water from the stream and hopefully catch something for dinner later that night.

"Legolas wait" he heard Adrenen call to him as the boy came running towards him "may I come with you?"

"Of course" Legolas smiled at him as he caught up.

"So this is where you live?" He asked looking up at the trees as they walked. "Do you sleep in the trees or do you have a house?"

Legolas laughed "We have a grand hall hidden in the forest, although yes, we do sleep in the trees as well. Wood elves are the happiest under the stars so any chance I get to sleep under their glow I take it"

"A grand hall? I can't wait to see it!" Adrenen sounded genuinely excited.

"We will arrive there tomorrow" Legolas smiled at him, even he was excited to see his home again. He spent so much time trying to escape his duties and get away from the Halls he had almost become blind to how beautiful it really was. It took almost having it taken away from him to realize that.

"So what do you do there? I mean I work at my Uncles inn, where do you work?"

Legolas wasn't quite sure how to answer that question, he hadn't told the boy who he really was yet, he rarely told anyone that he met. He didn't like being treated differently just because his father was the King, and when most people learned that he was a Prince their reaction was either to bow down or just get nervous. But he knew the boy would find out eventually anyway, especially if his father pulled his usual overreaction at his return.

"Well, my father is the King, so my duties are to-"

"You're a Prince!"

Legolas laughed slightly, normally he would dislike such a reaction but this time he could certainly see the humor in it. He guessed from the state he must be in at the moment he would hardly look like a Prince, his hair was filthy, he was wearing Aragorns overcoat that was at least two sizes too big for him and his leggings had more tears than they did cloth. "Yes Adrenen, although I do not want that to change what you think of me, apart from a few Royal duties I am just like everyone else, although I am sure it would be a little more believable after a bath and a change of clothes"

Adrenen stifled a laugh, "well, I have to admit, you do look more like a wanderer at the moment" Legolas put his hand on his chest and opened his mouth in mock hurt before they both burst out laughing and headed for the stream.

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><p>Aragorn heard the sound of laughter in the distance and smiled to himself as he piled up the last few logs he needed to start the fire. He was glad Legolas and Adrenen were getting along so well, he wasn't sure what the elfs reaction would be to the boy, he was one of the villagers after all. He knew Adrenen missed his Uncle, but he was confident he would see him again and before long his life could return to normal, just without the games. He hoped Thranduil would listen to him and at least take what he had planned in his own mind on board. He knew these people were not lost causes, many of them had shown a flicker of doubt when Legolas had been brought out into the yard that day which proved at least some of them had a conscience.<p>

He looked over to Braelor who was shifting his eyes nervously around the forest. The man had so many secrets, he seemed to know so much about the elves yet at the same time knew so little. Aragorn had been watching the man closely ever since they left, without his protection inside the village he was no more menacing than the boy, he used a lot of harsh words and taunts but only to cover up or draw attention away from his fear or doubts. He was in a situation he was not in control of and that frightened him, much more than it should.

Aragorn tried to think of past events that could explain Braelors hated for the elves but nothing even came close. He had said that Thranduil had murdered his family. Aragorn had known Thranduil for a long time, and he had known Legolas even longer, he was positive that the King would never do anything to wrong a mortal let alone murder one, and Legolas had always said he was nothing but a loving father. There were many rumors and stories told by outsiders about the King but they were usually based around his distrust of strangers. Some say that if you are caught wandering Mirkwood you spend an eternity in the dungeons, others say that if you look upon the Kings treasure he will turn you into stone. All ridiculous of course, but at least they were fairly harmless and served a good purpose, to keep people away. Aragorn often wondered if the King had not started some of these rumors himself to keep away curious eyes, it wasn't that Thranduil didn't like guests, he was just very cautious and protective of his people. When your kingdom lies in one of the most evil and dangerous forests in all of Arda, you learn that keeping yourself isolated is often the easiest way to protect your people from harm.

Aragorn ran the flint down the edge of his sword and sparks sprayed over the wood pile, the dry grasses sprang to life and soon the whole pile was up in flames. It was almost dark when Legolas and Adrenen finally returned, Legolas carrying 2 waterskins that they had made from one of their first hunts and Adrenen carrying four rabbits. Aragorn raised his eyebrow at Legolas, it had never taken him so long to catch a few rabbits before but he refrained from saying anything lest Adrenen be the reason. His suspicions were confirmed when Legolas simply shook his head.

"Look!" Adrenen held the rabbits up "Legolas showed me how to make rabbit traps and they really work!"

"Fantastic, it will be nice to have something other than those scrawny deer from the plains for a change" There was not much meat on the rabbits, but if this was all they returned with there obviously was not much else on offer and he didn't want to deter Adrenen from hunting again, the boy had a knack with a blade, it just seemed he may need a little work on his traps.

He stood up and took one of the waterskins from Legolas before walking over to Braelor. He pulled the cork from the bottle and wordlessly gave some to the man, at first Braelor had protested to being fed and watered by Aragorn, but by the second day the thirst became too much and he simply yielded. Aragorn recorked the skin and walked back to the fire. "We will cook these rabbits and then get some sleep, I want to start bright an early in the morning".

"If we leave at dawn we should be at the Halls no later than midday" Aragorn looked around for where Legolas voice had come from and found him sitting on a branch high above him.

"You have got to stop doing that my friend" he laughed "I never even hear you move"

"Then perhaps you should listen harder" Legolas laughed back at him, "or learn to climb a tree yourself without sounding like an Oliphaunt is trying to tear it down"

Aragorn just shook his head and picked up one of the rabbits and began skinning it "Elves" he muttered.

"I heard that"

"You were supposed to" he called back as an acorn hit him squarely in the back of the head.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Thankyou thankyou thankyou for all the reviews so far! A couple of nice fluffy chapters before we get down to the business of Braelor... Just what is that mans problem?  
>Sorry about any errors with grammar, English was never my best subject so if you see any glaring errors please point them out.<p>

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><p>CHAPTER 13<p>

Thranduil paced around his private garden, he thought he had done more walking from pacing in the past week than he had done in the past century. He had attempted to send out numerous parties of elves and had even contemplated assembling his army, but as always his advisors were there to keep him grounded. He knew in his mind that he should give Aragorn more time, he did trust the mans skills and his friendship with Legolas, but his heart was telling him he needed to find his son and that he should stop at nothing to achieve it.

He felt like he had failed, after the death of his beloved wife he had always kept Legolas close, but the young elfs curiosity had always got the better of him. He had managed to keep him away from most of the larger battles of his time using Legolas status as crown prince to his advantage, declaring he needed someone to be caretaker of the throne, but that excuse was starting to wear thin. He was an excellent warrior, this he had proven in various tournaments, games and orc hunting but Thranduil could not help but still be protective of him.

He bent down and picked a primrose flower, taking in its scent before tucking it behind his ear. The gardens always succeeded in calming him, he was envious of the Wood Elves connection with the great wood, as he had travelled from the east he did not share the same deep connection with the trees as the other elves, but he did have a great fondness for flowers. When he had commissioned the dwarves to build the great Halls he made sure there was a special place left for his garden. He went to seat himself on one of the stone benches nestled amongst the sea of colors but was stopped by a sound in the distance.

Suddenly two of the royal guard burst through the gate to the garden "Hir nin" one of them breathed as he bowed "I apologise for our entrance"

"What is it?" Thranduil questioned, it was highly unorthodox for anyone to just burst into the kings garden and this worried him.

"It is Legolas Hir nin, he has returned" Thranduil felt his heart instantly start beating faster as he pushed past the guards and raced for the main chamber.

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><p>"Wow" Adrenen breathed as they stepped into the Halls and Legolas couldn't resist a smile. The main chamber at the entrance the the Halls was all white marble, a chandelier brimming with gemstones hung from the centre of the ceiling casting glinting lights over the walls and floor. Tapestries adorned the walls depicting scenes from the forest along with the official crest of the Woodland Realm, and of course, vases of brightly colored flowers were placed on tables at either side of the room. From the outside one would never guess the beauty that lie within.<p>

Thranduil came bursting through one of the doors and rushed over the to group, he grabbed Legolas shoulders at arms length before pulling him into an embrace. Legolas had to resist the urge to roll his eyes but he knew how worried his father must have been, so he returned the embrace before pulling away to allow Thranduil to see that he was not alone. The King however did not take the hint and started questioning his health, what had happened and why it took so long for him to return.

"Ada please, I am fine I assure you". He really was fine, all his injuries had fully healed he just knew he looked a little worse for wear. Thranduil eyed him suspiciously and raised an eyebrow. "Ada I would like you to meet someone" he gestured to the boy, "this is Adrenen, he is responsible for our escape"

"Escape?" The king questioned. Legolas was far from ready to retell the events at that moment, the only thing on his mind was a decent nights rest without the watchful eyes of Braelor and Aragorn on him, albeit both for different reasons.

"Yes" Aragorn answered for him, seemingly sensing the elfs reluctance. "We have much to discuss my Lord, but perhaps after some rest. What you should know is that you currently have a prisoner being taken into your dungeons by your guard and he is the one responsible for the disappearances. If it were not for Adrenen here we may not have made it out alive".

Thranduil looked over to the boy for a moment "Then it seems we owe you a debt of thanks penneth".

"It's Adrenen sir" he said sheepishly.

Thranduil furrowed his brow as Legolas laughed slightly, he leaned into the boys ear and whispered "penneth means young one, he was referring to your age".

"Oh... well it was nothing" he looked down at the ground and his wavy hair covered his face, but from how bright a red his ears were turning Legolas guessed he was blushing rather hard.

"It was hardly nothing penneth, do you know who it was you saved?"

"Yes sir, I mean Lord, he told me yesterday, I had no idea before then" Adrenen looked over at Legolas, the elf did feel slightly guilty for not telling the boy earlier, apart from a few extra questions his attitude towards him had not changed at all.

"Well, I will let you get... cleaned up" Thranduil picked up the edge of Aragorn coat that Legolas was wearing and made a disgusted face before letting it go, "we can meet in the dining hall in hour". Aragorn and Legolas both bowed their heads, Legolas noticed Aragorn elbow Adrenen in the ribs and the boy did the same. Thranduil went to turn and head out the door when he stopped suddenly. "Where is Calanon?" Legolas mind froze, he had hoped that was another question he would not have to answer until later but there was no avoiding it, he tried to tell his father but when he opened his mouth nothing but silence emerged. He simply looked Thranduil in the eyes and shook his head, hoping he understood.

Thranduils eyes widened slightly before he looked down at the ground and furrowed his brow. "It seems we do have a lot to discuss. One hour, dining hall, I will be waiting".

Legolas breathed a sigh of relief and closed his eyes as Thranduil left the room. He was thankful he did not have to explain any more at the moment but it wouldn't be long before he was expected to recount the events. His only reprieve was the fact he had not actually been there when Calanon had died, the task of relaying that story would fall to Aragorn. He looked over to the man who seemed to be in just as deep a thought as he had been. He shook himself from his thoughts and put his hand on Adrenens shoulder.

"How about I show you your room and we will see if we can't find you some fresh clothes".

"Oh I don't want to be a bother" Adrenen seemed surprised at the offer.

"It is no trouble Adrenen, I think I have some clothes in my quarters that would go close to fitting you, now come" He smiled at Adrenen, after all this boy had done for him the least he could do was give him a warm bed and some clean clothes. "Aragorn, you can get cleaned up in my quarters as well until we have a room prepared for you, I'll ask Galion to have one ready after this meeting".

"Thankyou mellon nin".

They walked down the long stone hallway, the walls were adorned with similar tapestries as the main chamber and Legolas noticed Adrenen studying with fascination. "You won't see much here that isn't to do with the woods" he explained.

"They're beautiful, do all elves love the woods?"

"Not all, we all love nature, that is something that binds all of us, but a love of the trees themselves is something special to the Wood Elves". They reached a large wooden door at the end of the hall and Legolas pushed it open, it was dark inside and he grabbed the flint stone he knew would be sitting on the table just inside the door. He lit one of the torches on the wall and walked around lighting dozens of candles around the room, soon it was almost as bright as day.

"The washroom is through that door, you may use anything in there, I will find you some clothes" he told Adrenen waving his hand at the door to the right of the room and started removing the coat Aragorn had given him. He put the coat over the back of the chair near his desk and glanced over at Adrenen. The boy hadn't moved an inch, his eyes just looking around the room taking everything in. "Adrenen?"

"Oh, thankyou" he snapped out of his thoughts and walked hurriedly towards the door. Legolas looked over to Aragorn who looked like he was doing his best to suppress a laugh.

"You have to admit my friend, your quarters aren't exactly understated".

Legolas looked around and laughed. "No I guess you are right, certainly not my doing though I assure you". The main room was adorned with all sorts of lavish furnishings, green velvet curtains lined the walls despite their being no windows, it gave the illusion that the Halls were not buried underground, and the way the light reflected on the walls from the candles made you truly believe you could be somewhere like Imladris and not Mirkwood. Finely carved furniture littered the room, cushions in a variety of fine fabrics adorning the chairs. Statues and carvings of pure silver adorned every shelf and mantle, each reflecting a different element of the forest. Legolas picked up a silver statue of deer and sighed, he had no love of treasure that was his fathers domain, he would have been happier if his quarters were just a simple room with a bed, but the trouble his father went to have it decorated in such a fashion was a way of showing his love so he made no complaints.

"Make yourself at home, I won't be long" he told Aragorn who had already slumped himself in one of the chairs, eyes half lidded. He knew the man must be exhausted, he had hardly slept on their journey home, opting to keep an eye on Braelor throughout the night despite the fact the man could not escape. He turned the handle on the door leading to his private bedroom and swung it open, his bed looked very tempting but he tried to ignore his bodys plea for sleep, he walked over to his wardrobe and started rummaging through it. Nearly everything he had would have fitted Adrenen except for in height, he wasn't a skinny elf, but his muscle was more toned and sleek than bulky like Aragorn, the only problem seemed to be that he was very tall, as were most elves. He picked out a pair of leggings and a silken shirt that was perhaps a little too small for him and went back out to the main room.

Aragorn was fast sleep in the chair already as Legolas walked past him, he knocked softly on the washroom door before opening it just a little. "Your clothes" he said as he stuck his arm through the door holding the clothes out.

"Thankyou" Adrenen answered sheepishly from behind the door and he felt the clothes being taken from his hand.

"Is there anything you need?"

"No thankyou, I'm almost done" Legolas sat down opposite Aragorn and waited for Adrenen. It was only a few minutes before the boy emerged and Legolas couldn't resist waking Aragorn. He looked like a different boy, he could have easily passed for an elf... if only he hid his ears. "Is something wrong?" he asked when he noticed both his companions staring at him.

"No, you look perfect" Aragorn sleepily replied, "You two could be brothers". Adrenen seemed to like that response and he beamed at Legolas.

"Now if you will excuse me, I have over a weeks worth of mud and grime to be rid of" Legolas grabbed some clothes before heading to the washroom himself "and whether you like it or not Aragorn you will be bathing before you eat with my father, your rangers mark of pride will not go down well here" he indicated to the mud coating the rangers pants.

Aragorn grumbled something Legolas did not understand before closing his eyes again.

Legolas entered the washroom and began taking off the remainder or his clothes. He grabbed a cloth and dipped it in the water at the basin, cleansing himself of the dirt and dried blood that covered his skin. He picked up a vial from the table and put a few drops into the water before unbraiding his hair and dipping it into the basin to wash it. He lathered away the grime that had accumulated before rinsing it with a jug of clean water and picking up his clean clothes. He eyed them with distaste before putting them on, he much preferred neutral tones and low key fabrics, but he knew his father liked seeing him more royal garb. He fastened the clips on his shirt and smoothed down the fabric, it was a deep red silk adorned with silver threads twisting into leaf patterns around the neck line, small white jewels sat on each of the silver clasps at the front. He grabbed a towel to finish drying his hair and walked back out to the main room.

"Very princely" Aragorn smirked.

"Do not start" Legolas warned him, Aragorn knew very well how much he hated wearing these ridiculous clothes, but he did feel rather guilty about convincing his father to let him go out on the quest to find the missing elves.

"It is your turn, at least promise me you will try to get rid of that mud"

"No promises" Aragorn grinned at him as he got up and went to the washroom. Legolas rolled his eyes at him and shook his head, why must that man seek to cause him constant grief? His focus turned to Adrenen who was eyeing the silver statues with intrigue.

"So what do you think of the Halls?"

"Oh they are wonderful, I have never seen anything like it before!" He looked at Legolas and his eyes widened "Wow, you look... different".

Legolas laughed "So you believe who I am now?"

"Of course, I mean, not that you didn't look good before, but now" Adrenen took a sharp breath in his embarrassment trying to find a way out without insulting the elf "You look like your father".

Legolas laughed again, "You are not the first on to tell me that, we may look the same but our interests differ greatly". Adrenen looked puzzled. "I would rather be wandering the woods than debating political matters" he explained. His father loved ruling his kingdom, all the debates and trades but Legolas heart just was not in it, he preferred serving those he loved, not ruling them. "Would you prefer to stay here and get some rest while we attend this meeting?" He offered as Adrenen yawned.

"Oh, well if the king wants me to be there I will go but-" he yawned again.

"Stay here, you can sleep in my room" Legolas smiled at him and gestured to the bedroom door. "I will have some food brought in for you later".

"Thankyou!" Adrenen seemed relieved, it had been a very long and hard few days for the boy and Legolas had to admit, his father was a little daunting to those who did not know him. Adrenen stumbled towards the bedroom and Legolas followed him to the door.

"If you need anything at all don't hesitate to ask, there is always someone close by". Adrenen yawned again as he lie down on the bed.

"Thankyou Legolas" he said drowsily and he was asleep before his head hit the pillow.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** I am SO sorry for the huge delay for this chapter, don't worry I would never leave this story unfinished but I have a just had the worst 2 weeks. They say bad things come in threes and I have just had mine so I'm crossing my fingers for smooth sailing from now on.  
>Thankyou to my new and regular reviewers as well as subscribers, without you this story may not have been what it is so I give you all a hug!<p>

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><p>CHAPTER 14<p>

Aragorn reached for another piece of bread and glanced over at Legolas who was looking unusually nervous. They were seated at the long table in the dining hall to have a meal and discuss the events of the past week, however the silence in the hall was deafening. It seemed none of the tables occupants were willing to describe what had happened, even Thranduil seemed tense despite his calm exterior. There was no avoiding the subject though, and Aragorn knew that the longer they drew out the silence the harder it would eventually be to talk about it.

Aragorn took a deep breath, "My Lord, we cannot put this conversation off".

Thranduil looked up from his meal which had barely been touched and sighed, "Indeed, I will admit, my heart greatly wants to know what has happened, however" he glanced over at Legolas "if you are not ready I will understand". Aragorn was surprised at the response, admittedly he had only known Thranduil for a small portion of the elfs long life, but he had always known him to be direct, if there was something going on in his realm he wanted to know about it, and he wanted to know about it now. He knew the King was not as harsh as the stories about him made people believe, and he had certainly seen more acts on kindness from him than anything else, but until now he had not truly realised how strong the Kings bond was with his son, and what lengths he would go to just to see to his needs.

Aragorn was about to object and ask for permission to speak to the King privately when Legolas spoke up for the first time since they had been in his quarters. "No, it needs to be told, there is someone who needs to be dealt with", his brow furrowed as he thought of Braelor sitting in the dungeons. Aragorn really felt for the elf, he knew Legolas hated appearing weak, but to appear weak in front of his father would be a thousand times worse for him. Aragorn looked over at Legolas and the two locked eyes for a moment, it was clear to Aragorn that this was something Legolas had been thinking of for quite some time and he would find no rest until the situation was resolved. He nodded to the elf in understanding and Legolas began telling the tale, everything from their capture, his treatment and eventually Braelor. The man who had caused himself and his people so much pain over the past few months, the same man they now held captive.

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><p>Thranduil stormed down towards the dungeons, his robes fluttering as his two followers struggling to keep up with him. He had heard enough, when Aragorn told him of the manner of Calanons death he could wait no longer to speak to this abomination being held in the cells. He knew how hard it must have been for Legolas to tell him exactly what had happened, the torture, the deaths, and he knew his reaction should have just been to comfort his son, but his temper rose to the surface and he was struggling to control it.<p>

"Ada wait, think about this" Legolas pleaded, but Thranduil didn't hear him, his only thoughts were focussed on this man, the man who had murdered so many of his loyal subjects, and his foster son. He came to the corridor which contained the cells and the guards stood to attention as he approached, after the last incident with prisoners escaping he no longer took any chances. He slipped a fine gold chain over his head, hanging from it was the master key to the cells. He took a deep breath to try and calm himself, more for Legolas benefit than his own and turned the key in the lock. Before anyone could voice their objections he swung the door open, there sitting on the ground against the far wall was Braelor, unbound with uneaten provisions sitting at his side.

Braelor jumped straight up off the ground when he saw the Elfking, "YOU!" he roared as he sprinted towards Thranduil, the King however did not move an inch, knowing full well his trusted guards would take care of the matter. When Braelor was mere feet from the King the guards immediately sprang into action, grabbing Braelor by the wrists and twisting them behind his back so he could not move.

Thranduil eyed him up and down, his head raised in what only could be described as superiority. "I do not believe we have met" he said in the most neutral tone he could muster, given the deathly cold stare the man was giving him. He heard Legolas and Aragorn step into the cell behind him, "Though I do believe you have met my son and his friend".

Braelor stared at the pair for a few moments, sparing an especially malicious glance at Legolas. "Your son? I knew that elf reeked of your stench" Braelor spat "If you do not remember me then you are a bigger fool than I first thought".

Thranduil heard Legolas shuffle his feet behind him, obviously being held back by Aragorn and felt heat rise in his body, he took another deep breath to calm himself. "I would caution you to remember where you are being held and who you are speaking to".

"I know I am speaking to a murderer" Braelors voice was filled with hate. Thranduil could only guess as to the cause for his hatred, he had never seen this man before, he had barely left the Halls in so many years now. Even the dealings and trades with Lake Town were left for his subjects to handle save for a few wanderers into his realm he had not met any new peoples of Middle Earth in decades.

"A murderer? The only murderer I see in this room is you. I have been informed of your deeds in the village , and I can assure you, they will not go unpunished". Thranduil resisted the urge to look over at his son, he did not want him to be here, but he knew there was nothing he could do short of locking him in his quarters that would keep him away, and even that had not always worked when he had been an elfling. And Aragorn, the man had ben a pillar of strength to Legolas for many years now and he was very grateful to him for being here for his son now.

"Punishment?" Braelor gave a mocking laugh "Punishment for what exactly? I was merely helping your kind atone for your sins" he gave a wince as one of the guards twisted his arm behind him further. Thranduil resisted a smile before looking the guard in the eye in a wordless command to stop.

"And what sins would they be?"

"You ignored our pleas for help, the great battle at the foot of the Lonely Mountain, you did nothing but watch as my family died, you are nothing but a murderer!".

Thranduil furrowed his brow, the only great battle in recent times was Battle of Five Armies, but that was almost five decades ago. He tried to remember that fateful night, it was utter chaos, with elves, dwarves and men fighting against the horde of goblins from within the mountains. He searched his mind and his blood ran cold, there was a boy, he remembered a boy asking him for help, but...

Thranduil looked over the Legolas and Aragorn "Boe i 'waeg" /You must go/.

"Ada?"

"Ego!" /Be gone!/ Thranduil regretted his harsh tone, Legolas and Aragorn both looked slightly shocked but they simply bowed their heads and left the cell. If the story Braelor was about to tell was what he was thinking he did not want his son to hear it, not from this man anyway. This was a story he would have to tell Legolas himself. He was surprised when Legolas made no further protest to being asked out of the room, he could only assume he would have Aragorn to thank for that, the mans presence seemed to ground the elf. He had spent so many years with so many familiar elves it was good for him to have a newer friend, and this man was one of the few who could actually talk some sense into the stubborn young elf.

"You remember don't you" his attentions were drawn back to Braelor and the task at hand. Thranduil took a breath and closed his eyes.

"Yes"

"Then you admit you murdered my family?"

"No. There was nothing I could do"

"LIES!" Braelor struggled against the guards holding him. Thranduil knew that this man was partially right, he probably could have spared a few of his warriors, but the damage was so great, so many of his own army were injured or killed that he was more concerned with helping his own. After the Last Alliance almost three thousand years ago, and the catastrophic toll it took on the woodland elves, not to mention taking his own father from him, he became much more protective of his own people, realising how easily the ones you love can slip from your grasp. "I asked you for help, and you just walked away. You could have saved them, and by doing nothing it is you who is responsible for their deaths". Braelors voice turned from pure anger to sorrow at the memory of his family, this man had lived for so long with nothing more than a pure hatred, it seemed he had almost forgotten why he was angry in the first place, now that he was reliving the memory, he was experiencing a whole new wave of emotions.

"If you truly believe it is I who is responsible, why take it out on my people?" Many of the elves you yourself have murdered were not even at that battle".

"I had tried to get close to you" Braelor explained "but you were never alone. I am not a fool, I knew I could never exact my revenge on you inside your own Halls so I simply resigned to watching you. After the battle I spent countless hours following your parties in the woods, learning how you moved and where you went, when you left the Halls how many guards accompanied you. I lived in your own woods for years and you never even knew I was here". He gave a twisted and triumphant smile at his ability to go undetected by the elves. "After I had learned enough I wandered and came across the village of Hollow, their leader was a weak old man, he easily gave up power and the villagers looked to me as their new leader".

Thranduil knew this to be a lie from what Legolas and Aragorn had recounted to him, the villagers did not look up to him, they simply feared him, he found himself wondering if by giving up power, he meant murdered, but Thranduil looked at this man and felt pity. He felt anger towards this man, and he certainly would not be taking what he had done lightly, but there was a small amount of guilt eating away at him. He found himself wondering if he truly was responsible for the death of Braelors family. He shook himself from his thoughts.

"That does not answer my question" Thranduil realised Braelors story was merely an attempt to draw his attention away from the murder of the elves.

Braelor gave another twisted smile, whatever grief he had felt earlier had been once again overwhelmed by his hatred. "If I could not hurt you physically then what better way get revenge than to hurt those you love, the same way you did to me. None of your people stopped to help, they are all to blame, you are all the same". Braelor spat down at Thranduils feet in defiance and the King simply looked down at the offending mark on his shoe and exhaled deeply.

He looked to the guards "See that you keep up his provisions, we will decide what to do with him later".

"You are just going to leave me here? You are a coward, you will run away now just like you did then!"

Thranduil could no longer contain his temper and he slapped the man hard across the face, Braelor turned his head back slowly, looking stunned. "Do you know how many of my people were slaughtered in that battle?" Thranduil bellowed "You are not the only one who has lost loved ones in war. If I could have helped your family I would have, but in case you hadn't noticed elves were dying on that battlefield as well as mortals. I suggest you think about why it is you hate me so and why you have spent your whole life bent on revenge. Has it been worth it, truly? All this pain and suffering?" Thranduil noticed a slight amount of fear and indecision in Braelors eyes as they flicked to the guards and the man opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. "I will return after I have made my decision". He nodded at the guards to release the man and turned to leave the cell, but not before Braelor made one last effort at his revenge...

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><p>Legolas leaned against the stone wall in the corridor outside the prison cell, his mind awash with thoughts. 'Why did his father order them out of the cell? What was he hiding?'<p>

"You are going to burn a hole in the floor at the rate you are going mellon nin, tell me what troubles you so?" Legolas looked over to Aragorn and realised he had been staring at the same section of flooring since they had been ordered out.

He shook his head "It's just Ada, I have never seen him acting so strangely, he is hiding something".

"He probably just did not want you to have to be in there with Braelor, and he knew you would not leave willingly" Aragorn offered. Legolas wished it to be true but his heart told him otherwise. Thranduil had lost his temper many times, but never at his own son and this worried him, there was definitely something wrong.

"Come, there is no point waiting here, we should check on Adrenen". Legolas knew it was a feeble excuse but he appreciated what Aragorn was trying to do, anything to take his mind off what was happening in that cell. He nodded to Aragorn and they walked together down the corridor back to the main hall. Legolas stopped and pulled one of the vibrant colored flowers out of one of the vases and twirled it in his fingers. Not a day had passed when these halls had not seen the color of these flowers. Even in the winter months his father grew them inside, carefully tending to them, taking them outside just long enough to see the sun, but not too long so they succumbed to the harsh winter.

Aragorn stopped and stared at Legolas for a moment "I'm sure it is nothing mellon nin" he smiled at him.

Legolas couldn't help but smile back, "you are right, but I would still feel more comfortable waiting down by the cells, I just have a strange feeling something is amiss" he furrowed his brow. The feeling he had while down in the corridor had intensified and now a panic almost gripped him at the thought of being away from it.

Aragorn walked over to him and clapped his hand on the elfs shoulder, "then the cells are where we shall go". Legolas smiled at him again, thankful for not having to have another one of their famed arguments. He knew Aragorn only had his best interests at heart, but right now he felt his best interests were to be down in the cells with his father.

They walked back down the winding stone stairs and when they reached the bottom Legolas felt his heart skip a beat. Down the corridor lie his father, King Thranduil, face down on the floor, a dagger protruding from his back and the cell door wide open.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:**_  
>Melanie-<em> Your worries are answered in this chapter!  
><em>Aline-<em> Oh I do love a good cliffy, makes you want to just slap the author up the back of the head doesn't it... wait... -backs away slowly-  
><em>Arrows the Wolf-<em> The apostrophes are pesky little beggars, I'm hopeless at getting them right, let me know if I did better this chapter and thanks for letting me know :)  
><em>Metoochocolate-<em>Yup there were guards, guess Braelor has a few tricks up his sleeve, we'll find out about those tricks a bit later ;)

Sorry for the extended Authors Note this time around, just wanted to clear a few thing up.

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><p>CHAPTER 15<p>

Legolas rushed towards his father and dropped to his knees by his side. His hand was trembling as he put it on Thranduil's shoulder, he gently shook him to try and rouse him, "Ada?". Panic gripped him when there was no response "ADA?". Aragorn dropped down next to him and started checking Thranduil for any signs of life, it felt like a lifetime before he heard Aragorn audibly breath a sigh of relief when he found a pulse.

"He is alive, but we need to get him to the healers quickly, look". Aragorn brushed aside the golden hair covering Thranduil's face to reveal blood seeping down the Kings temple. "The dagger wound does not look serious, it has not punctured his lung, if I had to guess I would say it was merely a message, but this head wound could be dangerous".

"A message?" Legolas breathed, he looked through the open cell door and his heart sank. Braelor was gone, the the two guards lay on the ground near the door, unmoving. He wanted to rush over to them, make sure they were fine, but the confusion in his mind stopped him dead, he felt as though his knees were rooted to the ground. Why was Braelor doing this to them? How did he even manage to overpower the guards? He felt his breathing quicken but could do nothing to stop it, he had never felt like this before, the pain he felt over Calanons death was only just short of utter despair, but the thought of his father being slain by this monster was unbearable. This was all his fault. If only he hadn't been captured, if only they hadn't brought Braelor back to the Halls, if only he had stayed down in the cells, if only...  
>He saw Aragorn out the corner of his eye rush into the cell but the world became a blur. He barely noticed as Aragorn disappeared back up the stairs, or the healers fussing over his father and the guards, it wasn't until they tried to take Thranduil away that he snapped back into reality.<p>

"Hir nin" one of the healers addressed him, "We must take him to the healing wing". Legolas looked at the elf who was almost trying to pry his hands off Thranduil, he knew her well, Nestariel was one of Thranduil's most trusted healers and had tended to Legolas more times than he cared to count, he felt a sense of relief wash over him upon seeing her face. Slowly he released his grip on his fathers shoulder and allowed them to lift him onto the litter. He followed them up the stairs and to the healing wing, but as he tried to step through the doors Nestariel stopped him.

"Hir nin, I think it would be better if you waited outside", she bit her bottom lip, knowing full well the prince would not agree to such a demand.

Legolas tilted his head slightly in annoyance "You do know that is my father in there?" a hint of his the King's temper lacing into his voice. As much as he trusted Nestariel and knew in his heart she was right, his need to be close to Thranduil outweighed all logic, he had already ignored his instincts today and it resulted in this whole mess.

"I know Hir nin, but with the King and his guards we need all the room we can get". More excuses, he seemed to be coming across quite a few of those today, first his father and then Aragorn and now... Wait, where was Aragorn? He had not seen him since they first discovered his father in the corridor. He weighed up his options, clearly Nestariel would not let him into the healing wing without a fight, he knew he could simply order her to let him pass but now Aragorns sudden departure worried him almost as much. "Hir nin, we will take good care of him" Nestariel prompted in one last effort to get Legolas to stay away when she noticed the elfs indecision.

"You will let me know of any changes the moment they happen".

"Of course Hir nin, I will see to it personally". With a heavy heart Legolas walked away from the doors, away from his father, and went in search of Aragorn.

* * *

><p>Aragorn felt guilt for leaving Legolas in such a vulnerable state, he knew he should be by his side supporting him, helping him through his turmoil, but he hoped the outcome of what he was trying to achieve now would make amends for that. He just hoped the elf could forgive him, he felt as though everything was his fault. It was his idea to bring Braelor back to the Halls instead of leaving him in the village and summoning for aid, and it was his idea to let Thranduil be the one to question Braelor, hoping it would fuel his hatred and he would reveal the true reasons behind the games. It had all failed, and it was all his fault.<p>

After he had checked the guards who thankfully only appeared to be unconscious and summoned the healers he sprinted back up the stairs towards the main hall. It was the only way Braelor could have gone, all other exits had been sealed for security years ago. He and Legolas had only been away from the cells for no more than five minutes and they had seen no-one coming or going on their travels, most of the elves were occupied with their daily tasks or out training. The only doors between the main hall and the dungeons led to the kitchens and the private quarters belonging to the more noble elves of the realm. Aragorn felt a cold chill run down his spine, if he had chosen the door that led to the quarters then that could lead him to...

Adrenen.

Aragorn sprinted through the doorway and rounded the corner, what he found made his heart skip a beat. The guard that Legolas had asked to watch over Adrenen and see to his needs lay on the floor in the hallway, Aragorn needed not to check for a pulse as he was slain in the same manner Calanon had been, his blood staining the floor and pooling around his head. Aragorn cursed himself, he knew Braelor had great knowledge of the elves, but he severely underestimated his ability to fight. In the village Braelor had not been the one to participate in the games, letting others do the dirty work for him, but it seemed that was merely for popularity among the residents.

He whispered a quiet lament for the fallen guard as a picture was starting to form in his mind about what had happened down in the cells. He approached the door to Legolas' quarters and as he stepped closer he found himself once again regretting not having his sword on hand, Thranduil's Halls were a safe haven, protected by magic upon the very gates at the entrance, even the guards were not well armed they were so sure of their safety, there were no need of weapons here until now. Aragorn did not have time to alert more guards to this new development, if Braelor was in that room with Adrenen he would need to act fast. He knew Braelor was armed from the daggers missing from the guards belts, even though Adrenen stood up for what he believed in, what he knew was right, all he was to Braelor was a traitor and he had seen first hand what Braelor did to traitors.

Aragorn slowly pushed the wooden door open and crept inside, eyes scanning the room. His sword still lay in the same position he had left it against the chair and he edged towards it, silently unsheathing it and gripping it in his hand. As quietly as he could he stepped towards the bedroom, sword raised and ready for whatever he may find inside. He took a deep breath, praying to the Valar that Adrenen would be unharmed, that Braelor had not entered these rooms but he could not push back the feeling of unease. With one last breath he thrust the door open and stepped inside in one swift motion, he felt a sense of relief when he found no-one in the room until the realisation hit him... There was no-one in the room, Adrenen was gone.

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><p>Legolas wandered back towards the main hall, he had no idea where to begin searching, he knew Aragorn would most likely have gone after Braelor, but where would he have headed? 'Some tracker you are' he thought to himself, 'if Aragorn were here now he would most likely be laughing at you for losing your head!'. There was not much that shook the normally calm warrior, he remained controlled in battle, he was even praised for his diplomatic skills when his father made him sit in on some of the more heated arguments with local traders. The one thing that could shatter him was grief coming to his family, and his father was the only family he had left. He was almost too young to remember the death of his mother, he remembered her face, some of the songs she has sung to him, but her being taken away from him was just a blank memory.<p>

He retraced his steps back towards the dungeons, crossing the main hall, too lost in his own thoughts to hear the hurried footsteps of a man and a boy racing out of the doorway to the south. Both elf and man and boy stopped in their tracks as they locked eyes with one another, Legolas' eyes widened when he saw the knife at Adrenen's throat.

"I would suggest you move out of my way elf" Braelor spat at he held the knife closer to the boys skin.

"Let the boy go and I will".

Braelor's mouth twisted into a smile "And why would I do that, it seems I have the upper hand now, you have some affections for this miserable little traitor" Legolas inwardly winced as Adrenen closed his eyes and a tear rolled down the boy's cheek, the dagger now dangerously close to cutting flesh.

"What do you want Braelor?" He kept his voice as neutral as he could despite his desire start screaming at the man.

"What do I want?" Braelor mused "Well, to be allowed to leave of course, and I would not bother sending any of your little guards to follow me lest they end up like your dear father. Did you enjoy my little message to you? Your father is nothing but a backstabbing traitor himself, abandoning those he proclaims to be aligned with".

"Enough!" Legolas could not control his anger any longer. "If you want to leave these Halls I suggest you let the boy go". He had no interest in playing Braelors petty games, he knew exactly what the man was trying to do, the get him to doubt his own father, but that was something that would never come to be.

"Well I am afraid we have a stalemate, as I am not leaving here without some sort of assurance that I won't be killed the moment I set foot outside, and the only way that can happen is if I have a prisoner". Legolas looked at Adrenen, the boy was terrified of what Braelor would do to him not just now, but if they were to leave together. This man was twisted beyond reason and he had no doubt he truly would harm the boy for betraying him.

Legolas knew he would come to regret his next decision, but to save Adrenen, the boy who not days beforehand had risked his own life to save Legolas', this was the only solution.

"Let him go. Take me instead".


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Yikes, this is another please don't kill me chapter because it's so short. But hey, 3 updates in 3 days had got to earn me some brownie points right?  
>I have added some clarification about guards and weapons in this chapter, hope it clears up some confusion :)<p>

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><p>CHAPTER 16<p>

Aragorn bolted down the hallway, sword in hand and headed for the main hall, he must have only just missed Braelor by a matter of minutes but if he had made it to the main hall he could be anywhere by now. The main hall branched off into many different directions, the kitchen and quarters were only a small portion of the vast underground network. The dwarves that helped build these tunnels and hallways were skilled craftsman, a little too skilled, as Thranduil's Halls were almost like a labyrinth, twisting and turning in every direction, despite Aragorns frequent visits he could still find himself lost among the dozens of passageways although he would never admit it to Legolas.

Aragorn looked around the hallways, there was no-one in sight, Thranduil had no need to have guards inside his own halls save for the cells, they were all posted around the perimeter and deeper in the forest to keep a look out for approaching wanderers in the woods. If he could make it to the front gate quickly he could alert the guards there and have a small army searching the Halls in a matter of minutes. He silently cursed himself for not alerting them to the danger earlier, but he was more concerned with fetching the healers who they themselves fell into a mild state of panic upon seeing their King in such a state.

He resumed running down the hallways and heard voices in the distance, thinking it was some of the elves returning from the woods or that the healers had indeed summoned more guards he went to shout out, that was until he realised he recognised one of the voices. Braelor. He skidded to a stop on the marble floor and silently crept towards the doorway, he watched in horror as Braelor stood in the centre of the hall, a dagger held to Adrenen's throat and his dearest friend and brother glaring dangerously at the man. He resisted the temptation to sprint into the hall towards his friend, but knew it better to observe and try to figure out a plan, something he had picked up from Legolas many years ago.

"I think we have a deal" Braelor said smugly and Aragorn could picture the smile on the mans face as he stared at the back of his head. What was their deal? What had Legolas offered this man? Suddenly Braelor threw Adrenen to the floor off to his side and the boy immediately sprang from the ground and ran towards the nearest exit in a panic. Braelor pointed the dagger at Legolas and took a step forward, holding the tip right over the elfs heart. Aragorn's own heart skipped a beat for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.

"Now, don't try anything foolish elf". Aragorn knew the look in Legolas eyes, he had seen it many times before a battle, he was preparing himself, trying to push down his emotions before making an attack, the question was, did Braelor see it as well? He knew Legolas should have no trouble overpowering the man, he had seen his skill in battle both with and without weapons, but if Braelor made the first move all he had to do was push the dagger and end Legolas life in an instant. Aragorn couldn't take the chance, he knew he had to act.

* * *

><p>Legolas felt an immense sense of relief when Braelor released Adrenen, although the manner of his release caused a small spot of anger to flare up as the boy scrambled from the floor. He knew Braelor would agree to his bargain, his animosity for the elves and in particular his father it seemed was far stronger than any grievance with Adrenen. As Braelor took a step forward and placed the dagger against his chest he almost became unable to control that anger. There was no way Braelor was leaving these halls, he knew that if he left with Braelor as he intended, the man would simply kill him as soon as they were a safe distance from the Halls and slink away before finding another village to corrupt. No, if he was to die it would be fighting this man, not bowing down to his commands, he had already done so much damage, and not knowing whether his own father was alive or dead at that very moment fuelled the fire in his heart.<p>

He took one last breath before making a lightning fast move for the dagger in the mans hand, Braelor however was just as fast, dodging the elfs move and slicing a clean but deep cut across Legolas' arm. Before Legolas could even register the pain Braelor landed a swift punch to his stomach winding him slightly.

"You elves, you are far too predictable" Braelor mocked, as Legolas took a step backwards to regain his bearings, completely perplexed at how the man knew what he was going to do. "You think I didn't learn how you fight? How you move?" Braelor offered seeing the elfs confusion, "I know everything about your kind. I knew you would give up yourself for the boy, so noble of you to give your life for his, and you will be giving your life, make no mistake about that". Legolas was seething, just who was this man? Why did he know so much about them? He went to make another attempt to lunge at Braelor to the left but the man already switched hands on the dagger and blocked his attack. "As I said, you are predictable, now you can die here or you can come with me". Legolas was coiled tight, ready to make what could be his last move on this the man while he gave his self indulgent speech but something stopped him, he saw something coming towards them from the far side of the room and his eyes flicked over Braelor's shoulder.

Legolas smiled and Braelor gave him a quizzical frown, "did you predict this?" Legolas asked as the tip of a glinting sword appeared from Braelor's chest. The mans eyes widened as the sword vanished and he dropped to his knees. He opened his mouth to speak as Aragorn stepped out from behind him, wiping his blade on his coat but no sound came out, he truly expected his plan to work, and to find out that this man called Strider had fooled him twice, the last time to his own end had him in utter shock.

Braelor blinked his eyes and furrowed his brow, "You... you are the one who was supposed to pay. It was your people who..." He took a sharp breath through gritted teeth as he clutched his bleeding chest. Before he could finish his sentence his eyes became unfocussed as he fell with an echoing thud on the stone floor.

Legolas closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. It was over. The man who had come into his life so suddenly and caused him so much pain was dead. He stared at the lifeless body as the thoughts about the all the ill deeds he had done ran through his mind and how he could cause no more hurt.

"Are you okay mellon nin?" Aragorn asked as he put his hand on the elfs shoulder. Legolas simply nodded his head, not truly hearing the man as he let his thoughts drift back to the present. He wanted to go to his father, embrace Aragorn and find Adrenen but all he could do was stare at the body. What would happen now? Aragorn had promised the villagers he would return Braelor to them safely, he really believed that the man could be reasoned with, made to see the truth, but they never got the chance. Would they have a war on their hands? And what did Braelor believe his people had done? The final question was one that plagued him the most, he would never know the reason why Braelor had done this to his people.

"Legolas" he heard his name but it seemed as though it were being called through a field filled with rolling fog. He focussed his eyes on the sound and was met with Aragorn's face, filled with worry and concern for his friend.

Legolas shook his head, "forgive me, I don't know what came over me".

"I do, and it is you who should be forgiving me, I did not wish for this to be the outcome, for questioned to go unanswered. I am truly sorry mellon nin".

Legolas just nodded his head in acknowledgement and thought for a moment, he did not blame Aragorn at all for his actions, the man had just saved his life, but then it dawned on him, the questions may not go unanswered. His father had spoken with Braelor, and whatever was said in that cell the man obviously did not want to hear. Legolas just looked at Aragorn, a new hope and a new worry in his heart.

"Go to the healers, see your father and get that wound tended, I will deal with this" Aragorn gestured to Braelor's body. Legolas had to admit, he greatly desired to see his father, more than anything at that point in time, but he could not just leave Aragorn to deal with everything else, he would be feeling almost as much inner pain as the elf himself, these were his friends, and Legolas was his family, but blood or not. He held up his arm and studied the cut, he still felt no pain from the wound though he greatly suspected his current state of mind had a lot to do with that fact. He was about to protest when Aragorn put his hand in the middle of his back and pushed him in the direction of the door, giving his best fatherly look.

Legolas smiled, it was a mixture of relief, mirth and love. "Hannon le Aragorn, for everything".


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:** Just a quick thank you this time around to a couple of new subscribers and some lovely reviewers, love you guys!

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><p>CHAPTER 17<p>

Aragorn watched as the guards carried Braelors body back down to the dungeons, it was regrettable that he had to be kept there, the dead were usually tended to in the healing wing, but with both Legolas and Thranduil there it was best to keep Braelor as far away as possible. Even though he was their enemy, no elf took any death lightly and even the bodies of those against them were still treated with respect, orcs and spiders were burned and humans buried as they spoke a lament for the lives they had taken, for those who were truly evil had no choice and those who had chosen the wrong path had usually done so for good reason.

Once the guards were out of sight he walked down the hallway in which he had seen Adrenen run, the boy must have been terrified and he hoped he could find him soon to explain what was happening and that he was safe. It didn't take him long to realise that the hall he had ran down led to the Kings private quarters, this should be easier than he thought, there were only a few rooms to search down this particular way. He started in the bath house with no luck, moving on to Thranduil's bedroom and finally the door to the hall leading to the Kings gardens. He felt as though he were a child again, sneaking around Imladris to take a look at all the rooms Lord Elrond had specifically told him not to enter. King Thranduil's private quarters were off limits to all but a few people, and Aragorn was not one of those people, he hoped the King would forgive him when he finally awoke.

He knew in his heart the King would be fine, the wound to his head was certainly nothing to take lightly, but he was sure the healers would be fussing over him so much he would make a full recovery in no time. They all loved their King, and not just because he provided them with a safe place to escape from all the turmoil of the outside world, but because Thranduil genuinely loved them all back. Aragorn was silently hoping that the King would stay in a state of forced sleep long enough for him to make it to the healing wing. He was unsure of how Thranduil would react to Braelors death, and more importantly how he would react to Aragorn being the one to kill him. It was not Aragorns place to end Braelors life, even with threatening Legolas and Adrenen, if they had been on the battle field he would have been fair game, but these were Thranduil's Halls, and anything that happened in his realm was his decision alone.

The other problem that Aragorn faced was his promise to the villagers, he had told them he would return in one week with Braelor unharmed. He had no idea how the villagers were going to react to their leader being killed, Braelor had pulled them so far in to his web of lies that it seemed they trusted him unconditionally. There was still a spark of hope though, he could vividly remember the faces of some of the villagers when Legolas had been brought out into the yard the day of the games. What he saw was doubt, doubt over what he could not be certain, but there was a definite weakness that he could play off, try to expose to lessen the blow of Braelors death.

His heart ached for Legolas, he knew his friend had been through a lot of grief in his long life, but to see him going through so much pain at once almost broke his own heart. He was a strong warrior, always calm in battle, always in control of his emotions and to see him on the brink of shattering like a pane of glass worried him greatly. He knew that once Thranduil had recovered he would be on his way to clearing his own mind and regaining control, but he would still be there to stand by him and mend the cracks that formed in his facade.

Aragorn shook the thoughts from his mind as he stepped out into Thranduil's gardens and blinked disbelieving at the sight before him. Legolas had told him of the gardens but no description could match their true beauty, thousands of flowers covered every inch of the ground, ancient looking stone pillars stretched upwards wrapped in flowering vines. Aragorn almost forgot the reason he entered in the first place, he could see why Thranduil escaped here when he had need to think, it had an almost instant calming effect. He scanned the brightly colored garden and his eyes came to rest on a particularly twitchy shrub.

"Adrenen?" he stepped over to the shrub and parted the foliage, Adrenen was seated on the ground hugging his knees, tears streaming down his face. He raced around behind the shrub and kneeled down beside the boy. "It is okay my friend, you are safe."

"I'm a coward" he sniffed wiping the tears on his sleeve.

"You are many things Adrenen and a coward is not one of them."

"I ran, and now Legolas is gone" he looked up at Aragorn and his eyes widened. "You have to find them! You have to save Legolas!"

Aragorn shook his head "Legolas is safe."

Adrenen looked relieved by the news and started to relax. "And Braelor?"

Aragorn took a deep breath, he was not quite sure how to tell Adrenen of Braelors demise. Although the boy knew the truth and knew that Braelor had lied to them, he was still a man who had helped raised him, a man he had known his entire life. He furrowed his brow and took another breath. "To save Legolas I had to do something... regrettable. I'm sorry Adrenen but Braelor is dead".

"Oh" Adrenen lowered his head his eyes focussing on the ground, "well that is good."

Good? That was certainly not the reaction Aragorn had expected. "You are not troubled by his death?"

"Well yes, but at the same time no. He..." Adrenen's voice trailed off, obviously reluctant to finish his sentence.

"What is it Adrenen?"

Adrenen swallowed and took a breath, "he hated the elves so much it changed him, even the other villagers were starting to see it, especially when he started using elves in the games." Fresh tears welled up in his eyes at the memory of the games. "Only those born after he became leader didn't challenge him in secret. I only heard stories because of my Uncles tavern, when I cleared the tables I often heard some of the older men speaking of the elves and how some of them had even met them before. Stories of them not being as bad as Braelor was telling everyone circled, people started to doubt him, but they were just too afraid to do anything about it. At least now people will be able to think for themselves again."

Aragorn felt a spark of hope, his suspicions were correct, it wasn't the village that hated the elves, it was all Braelor. This news, although not perfect, was certainly positive and though they never had the chance to convince Braelor that the elves were not as he perceived them to be, at least there was still a chance the other villagers could be swayed. He made a mental note to bring this information to Thranduil as soon as the elf had recovered, if the King agreed to his original plan then it would all play out very well indeed.

He stood up and offered a hand to Adrenen "come, we had best leave this place before someone finds us here."

Adrenen took hold of Aragorn's hand and he lifted him off the ground, the boy looked around as if seeing the gardens for the first time. "You know, I had that same look on my face when I walked in here" Aragorn smiled at him noticing the boys dumbfounded look.

Adrenen blushed slightly, "where are we? I didn't really take notice of where I was going," his blush deepened.

"This is the Kings garden, you certainly chose a nice spot to go."

Adrenen continued to look wide eyed at the gardens as they stepped back towards the door to the Halls. From what he had seen in the village Aragorn guessed the boy had never even seen real flowers before, all the grew on the plains were wild grasses and a few knapweed. He got the distinct impression that the villagers were rarely permitted to leave the Hollow save for hunting and recently 'gathering', picking flowers was not high on their agenda. He couldn't help but smile at the boys curiosity and wonder at everything he saw.

"Come now, I think a stop at the kitchens for some tea is needed before we go to Legolas." Aragorn would have much preferred a few pints of ale at that point to help dull his nerves but he would have to settle for some herbal tea. They made their way back out to the main hall which was now filled with panicked elves, they had all heard about the incident with their King and came to show their concern. Aragorn had to dodge a barrage of questions as he and Adrenen made their way through the crowd, most knew there was a prisoner being held in the cells but none of them had any idea why, and they were all confused by the stories and rumours circulating about his death.

Aragorn looked at Adrenen who was seeming increasingly ill at ease. "I cannot answer your questions." He told them, "your King will be able to answer them all for you soon, now please, let us pass." There was a murmur from the crowd, most sounding relieved at Aragorn informing them that Thranduil himself would be addressing them, showing that he would recover from his injuries quickly. The crowd finally parted and Aragorn escorted Adrenen to the kitchens where they both breathed a sigh of relief.

* * *

><p>Legolas was starting to become annoyed as Nestariel asked him to stop pacing for the umpteenth time, the healers had finally allowed him into the healing wing but they had warned him to stay out of the way. Try as he might he could not just sit back in the corner of the room and a few minutes after every scolding from Nestariel he found himself at the foot of his fathers bed once more. He looked at his father, the proud warrior and King confined to a bed, his eyes closed in unconsciousness. The wound on his back had only been minor and tended to easily, the gash on his head did not look much worse but it was the damage inside that concerned them.<p>

It felt like hours before all heads in the room turned towards the sound of a soft groan.

"Ada?" Legolas rushed over to the side of the bed, nearly knocking one of the healers off her feet in the process.

As Thranduil blinked his eyes open everyone in the room froze on the spot, none of them were sure as to what state the Kings mind would be in. They had all seen the effects of a head wound before, some recovered well, others were much less fortunate.

"Ada?" Legolas repeated as Thranduil's eyes began to focus and he turned to the sound of his sons voice, when his eyes met Legolas' his brow furrowed slightly. "Ada, do you know who I am?" Legolas asked tentatively slightly afraid at his fathers reaction upon seeing him.

Thranduil seemed to think for a moment before responding. "Legolas... Ion nin" /My son/ he smiled before closing his eyes briefly and taking in a breath. He reopened his eyes and a look of worry filled them. "Braelor? The guards?" He tried to sit up at his sudden realization but the healers sprang into action stopping him.

"No Hir nin, you cannot get up yet" Nestariel told him but her worry went unheeded as Thranduil proceeded to push himself from the bed, but his injuries played against him however and he winced before sinking back down into the pillows.

"The guards are fine Ada, they are in the next room being tended to." Legolas reassured him, trying not to let his own worry show through.

"And Braelor? Tell me that you found him."

Legolas sighed slightly before nodding, "Aye."

"Then he is back in the cells?" Thranduils question was tentative, Legolas knew his father could tell something was amiss, he swallowed as he tried to find the right words. He knew his father would not be pleased when he heard of Braelors death, it was not in his nature to kill prisoners no matter what they had done and this situation with the villagers was delicate enough already.

"After we found you Aragorn went searching for him, but Braelor found Adrenen first. I happened to stumble across them and traded my life for Adrenens." He paused to gauge his fathers reaction but he remained impassive, simply listening to the story. "We struggled briefly before Aragorn found us, he had no choice, he had to act, Braelors body has most likely already been taken care of." Legolas looked down at the ground, feeling ashamed of his own failure and dreading the Kings reaction to Aragorn ending Braelors life.

"This is ill news" Thranduil said and Legolas heart sank a little, "however I do not believe Aragorn would have acted in such a way had there have been no other option. I know how he cares for you, and you for him." Legolas looked into his fathers eyes and surprisingly saw no anger, he had half expected his father to start to send him from the room and banish Aragorn along with him. 'Maybe that knock to the head has done him some good' he mused.

Thranduil went to sit himself up once again and the healers dove over to the bed before he barely had a chance to press his hands against the mattress. He held one hand up and gestured to them to stop. "I am fine, I assure you."

"Forgive me Hir nin but I hardly think-"

"I said I am fine!" There was the Thranduil Legolas knew, the one with the short temper and the only person with a sense of pride larger than his own. The healers backed away and Thranduil pulled himself up with ease, the disorientation from his first attempt obviously passing.

Legolas waited a moment before finally working up the courage to ask one of the question that had been plaguing him. "Ada, how exactly did Braelor escape?"

Thranduil furrowed his brow and shook his head "it was my mistake, pure and simple, I underestimated him. I have never seen a human move so fast nor be able to predict what was about to happen. I barely had time to turn around before Braelor struck me in the temple, that is all I remember until I woke up in here."

"So you were already unconscious when he stabbed you, as were the guards?"

Thranduil raised an eyebrow at Legolas. "Stabbed me?"

Legolas nodded, "when we found you there was a dagger embedded in your back."

Thranduil adjusted his shoulders slightly testing the muscles, "I did not even notice" he looked up to the healers and inclined his head towards them. "You have done a fine job." The healers simply bowed their heads at the King in thanks.

"Ada, what was it that Braelor spoke to you about down in the cells? Before he died he said something about our people paying for something, and that dagger was a message to me saying" his eyes flicked to the healers and he lowered his voice "a message saying you had stabbed them in the back."

Thranduil closed his eyes for a moment and Legolas thought there must have been something wrong, he went to signal to the healers but they were already hovering in the background and watching their King closely. "I think that tale is best left for us to discuss alone" he finally answered, his voice sounding laden with grief. That answer only served to grow Legolas concerns and beg even more questioned to be asked, but he respected his fathers wishes and spoke no more of it, though the moment they were alone he would certainly be bridging the subject again.

He nodded his head in agreeance and smiled "I am just glad to see you are in one piece, you had the entire staff in an uproar."

"An uproar you say? It takes more than a mere mortal to put me down for good, I feel well enough to get up already though I feel I would not be permitted." He gave the healers a sideways glance.

"If you would stay just a while longer we would feel much more comfortable" Nestariel said with a worried expression.

Legolas looked at the distasteful look on Thranduil's face and suppressed a laugh, "well at least you now know how I feel every time I am ordered to stay in these beds."

"Yes, but you are in them far more often than I, how you and your mortal friend find yourselves in so much trouble is beyond me." Thranduil shook his head.

"You cannot blame us, I think trouble seems to follow us wherever we go, it is probably safer for us NOT to be in these Halls."

"No matter what trouble you cause here ion nin, I would not wish for you be anywhere else."


End file.
